Touching Mirror Images
by TouchofPixieDust
Summary: Sequel to Mirror Images. Kagome and Kikyo traded places through the mirror years ago. But what happens when the mirror images touch once more? Will Inuyasha be able to keep Kagome, or will they lose everything? And what of Kikyo's new family?
1. The Girl in the Mirror

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Author's Note:

I don't usually put the notes at the top of the page, but I felt I should warn you that this is the sequel to "Mirror Images" (an AU story). It picks up exactly where the last one left off. If you haven't read that one, then this one may get confusing at first.

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Chapter One: The Girl in the Mirror

March 25th

"Awww Mama! You can't leave the story off there!"

Kikyo lovingly smiled at her young daughter. She was a precocious three and a half year old with an extensive vocabulary. "Now, Kaede, it's time for bed."

"But what happened to Kagome?"

Kikyo smiled bigger and kissed her pouting daughter on the head then sat on the bed beside her and finished the story she has told so many times over the years. Her daughter never let her forget the details of how the two women from different worlds somehow switched places. Nor would she allow the story to go unfinished. Kikyo was absolutely convinced that her daughter was a genius.

"_Kagome and Kikyo made their wishes. But the wish could not be granted, the wish failed. Neither girl could honestly wish with all of their hearts that they be returned to where they belonged. _

_In the morning Kikyo went and found her mother and confessed that she had been unable to fulfill the wish. She felt guilty and ashamed. But her mother understood. She knew how much Kikyo loved her new life, and how much she hated her old one. She also knew how much her daughter, Kagome, loved her new life and her new friends. So she let Kikyo cry, then told her that everything would be ok._

_Kagome told her friends about the failed wish. They tried to pretend to be sad, but they couldn't help but celebrate. Shippo was beside himself with joy. Sango cried, for the first time since her family died, but this time for joy. Miroku hugged her and tried to find comforting words to help her through the loss, but could not do so without a grin. And Inuyasha… he stood apart from the group. Watching. And smiling._

_Kagome held her arms open for Shippo to jump into, then shyly took Inuyasha's hand. They looked out at the morning sun._

"_I guess it's time for us to start hunting for Naraku," she said._

_And the journey began"._

"Did they ever get married?" Kaede asked as she snuggled down into the blankets.

Kikyo laughed. "That is another story, for another night."

"Did they ever defeat Naraku?"

"Go to sleep, my angel."

"Did she ever see Kikyo or her mother again?"

"Yes," Kikyo smiled warmly. "Sometimes in dreams, and sometimes in the mirror. Now go to sleep, little one. Sweet dreams." She kissed her daughter one more time, then looked over at her husband and smiled. Storytime at bedtime was her favorite part of the day. Sometimes she read the story, and sometimes it was Hojo. Whether she was telling the story or listening to it, she always enjoyed the wonder and excitement on her daughter's expressive face.

"You left out the best part, Mama."

"Oh? What part is that?"

"The ever after part."

Kikyo smiled warmly, and finished the story. "And they all lived happily ever after."

Hojo stood up and held out his hand to her. He kissed it before wrapping his hand around hers. Together they left the room, leaving their daughter to dream of her own adventures.

"It was a nice ending," Hojo whispered as he led her down the hall to their own room.

Kikyo grinned up at her husband. "No, really it is just a beginning."

He chuckles and gives her a kiss. "I like the part where we live happily ever after. It's my favorite part."

"Mine too."

After another quick kiss, Hojo heads off to the bathroom to shower and get ready for bed. Kikyo sat down and brushed her hair in front of the vanity mirror. As usual, she began to think about Kagome. It couldn't be helped. Every time she saw a mirror she thought about the other girl.

She glanced towards the bedroom door in the direction of the kitchen. She thought about the cake sitting on the table. HER birthday cake. Kagome's birthday cake. Kagome's favorite cake in fact. It was an apple walnut cake with a cream cheese icing. It is what her mother made Kagome every year on her birthday, a tradition of sorts. It was one of the things they decided not to change. After all, she was still just pretending to be Kagome and they had to keep up appearances.

But it wasn't Kikyo's birthday. It was Kagome's. The party and the cake were just reminders that it wasn't really her birthday and that she wasn't really meant to be here.

Would every birthday hurt like this?

Would it always make her doubt her place in this world?

In this family?

Kikyo didn't realize that she left her bedroom until she found herself leaning against the open door of her daughter's bedroom. She looks at her little girl and wonders if Kaede is something else that she stole from Kagome.

With a heavy sigh she walked back into her bedroom, after taking a quick peek at her husband in the shower. Partly because she wanted to make sure that he was still there and not some dream, and partly because… well… she just liked to look at him. Shaking her head she told herself that she should be focusing on the life she has now. She loved Hojo. She loved Kaede. She even loved Kagome's family, her mother, grandfather, and little brother. Her family now.

Picking up the brush she ran it ruthlessly through her hair. It was much shorter than she once wore it, when she was a priestess. It no longer fell in a curtain to her waist. Now it was neatly trimmed and swung just above her shoulders, framing her face. The front was slightly longer than the back, angled smoothly along the line of her chin. Never again would she wear bangs or long hair. She looked nothing like she had so long ago. She looked nothing like Kagome had once looked.

It was her life now. Her happiness.

The brush stilled in her hand. _It was her happiness! _ Kagome had never loved Hojo. She did. They would never have married, and never had a child. Kaede was hers. Hojo was hers. Kikyo smiled at her reflection. It really was her life, not Kagome's.

"Happy Birthday, Kagome," she said softly, reaching out to touch her reflection.

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Author's Note part II:

Chapters will vary in length. Some will be shorter and some will be longer (this one is short), but I like variety. And sometimes a chapter just needs to be short. I'm not offended if you point out that I made an error (I blame spellcheck for most of them anyhow), however I just ask that criticism be constructive instead of mean. After all, if I don't know something is wrong or not working, then I can't fix it.

Of course, most reviewers are a joy and I always look forward to what they say. Questions people ask sometimes make an impact on how the next chapter (or the one after that, or the one after that…) is written.

I can't swear how fast the chapters will come out, but I can promise that no matter what I will finish the story.


	2. Touching Mirror Images

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Two: Touching Mirror Images

March 25th

"Happy Birthday dear Kagome…"

Kagome froze over the water where she had been washing her face. Someone was singing, wishing her a happy birthday. Her lips quirked up into a smile. It was a familiar voice, one she had heard many times before through the last few years.

Kikyo.

Leaning over the water she peered into her reflection. Even after all this time it still amazed her when her reflection would ripple and Kikyo would appear. It was even more startling since the other woman had so drastically changed her appearance. It was no longer as if she were looking into her own reflection. It was a lot less creepy.

Almost identical eyes peered back at her, widening slightly. Then Kikyo smiled.

Kagome wasn't sure how a smile could seem so sad, but it did. Her heart ached for Kikyo. Especially today. Kagome knew that she was lucky, as long as she stayed away from Kikyo's village she could be herself and didn't have to worry about giving away their secret. She was still able to celebrate her own birthday.

Instinct sent her fingers towards the water when she saw the other woman reaching for her. The innate desire to make everyone happy was what caused her to reach out to Kikyo. Her fingers touched the wet surface.

She didn't even have time to cry out when she was dragged under the water.

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Author's Note:

Yeah… this one is even shorter than the first one. Don't worry, the rest will be longer.


	3. Seeing Double

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Three: Seeing Double

March 25

The tingle of magic in the air gave Inuyasha a split second notice before it decided to try and take his Kagome from him. His heart froze in terror as he saw something try to drag Kagome under the water.

Luckily his body wasn't frozen.

In a blur of red and silver, Inuyasha raced towards the girl as the rest of the world moved in slow motion. Adrenaline pumped through his body as his heart hammered painfully against his ribs.

Kagome's face was a mask of horror as she her arms disappeared into the water. Inuyasha cursed himself for not being faster. Her head disappeared next as she tried to regain her balance, and he was still too far away to stop it. Rage clawed at his chest as her legs jerked violently and her body twisted to fight whatever it was that was pulling her. Then they too disappeared.

"KAGOME!"

With a roar, Inuyasha dove into the water. Blindly he reached for her, nearly sobbing in relief when his hand wrapped around her ankle. He knew that he was holding on to her too tight, and that she would likely bruise, but fear kept his grip from loosening. He couldn't afford to worry about that as he battled for her. Something was fighting him, trying to pull her away from him, but he couldn't see anything under the water. Whatever it was, it was invisible. The water was mostly clean and clear, though Kagome's kicking had stirred things up a bit.

Her eyes were shut tight against the water. Inuyasha watched as they popped open, panicked. She used her free arm to hold her nose closed. Inuyasha cursed viciously. There was only so long she would be able to lose her breath. He had to hurry.

Even though the water was clear, Inuyasha could no longer see Kagome's arm. She turned her head and looked at him, and it felt as if his heart was breaking. Her eyes were filled with sorrow. She was trying to tell him good-bye. Letting go of her nose she reached back to try and touch him.

Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha swam towards the bottom, keeping hold of Kagome's ankle. When he reached the bottom he howled, though the sound was distorted and muffled in the water, and used his powerful legs to push upwards with all of his might.

"Kagome!" he cried out as he broke the surface and reached down to pull her right-side up, dragging her towards the shallow area. He could only breathe again when she coughed and peered at him through locks of her drenched hair.

"Inuyasha!"

He closed his eyes in relief and prepared to savor the feel of her leaping into his arms. But the impact never came. Instead there was a squeak as she was pulled under the water once more. But this time he was quicker, and he had his hands under her arms to pull her up before her nose even got near the water.

"What the…"

Inuyasha looked down and saw another set of eyes staring at him from under the water. He grabbed Kagome and tossed her out of the water onto the bank, ignoring her shriek of displeasure. A quick glance told him that she was fine. Disgruntled, but fine. Then he turned a pair of glaring golden eyes at Kagome's attacker. He reached down to pull the creature up by the hair.

"K…Kikyo…?"

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_No no no no no!_

_This isn't possible._

_NO!_

Frantically she took a swing at the dog demon holding her up by the hair and smacked her hands against the water, his chest, legs, and anywhere lese she could reach. Kikyo winced as her scalp burned each time she moved.

"Let me go, Inuyasha!"

He dropped her like she was on fire. Possibly she should feel insulted. However, she was far too panicked to even think about feeling insulted.

Instead of wasting her breath explaining anything to anyone who might be around, Kikyo threw herself into the water. She opened her eyes and looked for wherever the entrance might be, ignoring that nagging little voice in the back of her head telling her that the entrance wasn't in any one place.

She searched desperately, but found no trace of magic in the air to give her any guidance. The door between worlds was firmly closed.

When she surfaced she didn't bother trying to hide her tears. In fact, she screamed out her pain.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Please NO!"

Eventually her voice became hoarse and no more tears would come. She didn't care that her audience had seen her scream and claw at the water. She didn't care that they saw her dry heaving into the water when she made herself sick from crying. All she wanted was to go home to her husband and her baby girl.

She just wanted to go home.

Her head drooped and she took a couple of shaky breaths. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder she didn't even flinch. She was beyond caring. When the dog demon picked her up she didn't fight it, she just gave one last sniffle.

"Have you gained weight?"

Kikyo's eyes caught fire. "I had a BABY, you IDIOT!"

She left out the part about her addiction to banana splits…

"Yeah… but wasn't that… what… two or three years ago?"

"One more word," she growled between gritted teeth, "And you'll be nothing but little sparkly particles after I purify you."

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Inuyasha sat between Kagome and Kikyo. There was no way in heaven or earth he was going to let the two of them near each other. Every time they touched it seemed like one was being sucked into a different world. The magic already tried to take Kagome once, he wasn't going to let it have another shot at her.

It was a difficult feat, actually. Especially since Kagome wanted to go over and comfort the woman who seemed to bounce between raging at Inuyasha and Kagome for taking her away from her family and sobbing hysterically over her loss.

Matter only got worse when Miroku showed up with Sango, Ryoku, Kirara, and Shippo.

"Well, what do we have here?" asked Miroku as he walked towards the bank where the others were sitting. "Two Kagomes?"

"Don't be stupid, monk." Inuyasha snorted, not liking the man's leer one little bit.

"Kikyo?"

The still drenched woman turned to look at the demon slayer who spoke her name and promptly burst into tears once more. Inuyasha winced at the loud wail and wished he could toss her back into the water to shut her up. However, Kagome would probably yell at him for being insensitive or something stupid like that. He watched as Shippo scampered behind Kagome and peered at the distraught woman. He wished he could hide from her too.

"What's going on?" the fox kit asked his surrogate mother.

Shrugging, Kagome looked mystified by the whole thing.

Kikyo took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down and stood up. Inuyasha went on alert, muscles tensing and his hand on the hilt of his sword. He'd cut her in half before he allowed her to touch one hair of Kagome's, and he didn't care how mad his miko would get at him. She'd get over it. Eventually.

Probably.

Luckily for Kikyo, she walked towards Sango instead. Inuyasha relaxed and scooted closer to Kagome to watch whatever drama was about to unfold. But all the other miko did was look down at Ryoku, who was wrapped in his mother's arms, and touch his impossibly soft downy hair.

"He's beautiful."

"Thank you," said Sango, who Inuyasha noticed she shifted the baby and moved her right arm slightly so that she could unsheathe her sword if she needed to.

"How old is he?"

"Six months."

Tears leaked down her face and Kikyo touched the baby's tiny fingers. "I remember when Kaede was six months old. She's three and a half now." She cleared her throat and stepped away from the baby, hugging herself tightly around the middle. "I want to go back to my family."

Inuyasha's shoulders sagged in defeat. Not because of the tiny pleading voice Kikyo used, but because he felt Kagome give him THE look. He cursed inwardly. How did he suddenly become responsible for Kikyo? KIKYO of all people!

"You know," said Miroku as he bent down to give his child a quick kiss before facing the group again. "If it wasn't for the hair and the clothes, I would not be able to tell one from the other." He grinned at them. "It is almost as if you are twins. You are so alike it will be difficult telling you apart."

Inuyasha growled, and would have been amused at hearing Shippo growl as well if he wasn't so irritated at Miroku. "They ain't nothin' alike!"

"Yeah," agreed Shippo. "They smell COMPLETELY different."

Miroku leaned in close to Kagome as if to smell her, but felt a fist come down on his head and sharp pointy teeth planted in his ankle before he could get too close. Inuyasha appreciated the little furball's help in protecting his mate, but it wasn't necessary.

"I was merely attempting…"

"I KNOW what you were attempting, you pervert!"

"Inuyasha, your skepticism wounds me." He shook his foot. "Kindly remove your teeth, Shippo. Ryoku is crying for his father."

"You can't keep using that excuse forever," laughed Kagome as she pulled Shippo away from Miroku. "One of these days they won't buy it. Haven't I told you the story about the little boy who cried wolf?"

"Don't say 'wolf', Kagome." Inuyasha meant to say it as an order, but it came out more of a plea.

"Do I know you?"

Inuyasha turned to Kikyo, surprised by her question. Maybe she had brain damage from taking too many trips through the reflection. Just one more of a zillion reasons why she wasn't getting her paws on Kagome.

Kikyo took a step closer to him and his heart began to race. Should he draw his weapon? Should he hide behind Kagome? Would Sango get in trouble if SHE was the one to take the miko out? His left foot stepped back as his right hand reached for his sword. He couldn't stop the warning growl that erupted from him.

She stopped. Which was good for her, because Inuyasha's nerves were on edge and he wasn't sure what he was going to do. After all, he nearly lost Kagome. His instincts screamed at him to take her far away from every living thing and shelter her from the world. She wouldn't like that too much. They would fight. She would cry. He'd feel guilty. She'd apologize, which would make him feel guiltier. Then he'd say something stupid and probably make her cry again. So it was probably a good thing that Kikyo stopped before he ended up doing something that Kagome would make him regret.

"You do not seem anything at all like the Inuyasha I knew."

He growled. "Maybe that's because you never knew me."

Grabbing Kagome he threw her over his shoulder and bound off into the trees, ears twitching at her startled squeal. He had to put some distance between Kagome and Kikyo. The more the better.

"What are you DOING?" demanded Kagome as she thumped him on the back.

"Keh."

"InuYASHA!"

Once they were far enough off the ground and their group now looked like little ants, Inuyasha allowed himself to stop. Carefully he set Kagome down on the branch and settled himself in beside her. She was fuming mad. But really, where was she going to go? They were too high up for her to run from him. Inuyasha knew he was in trouble when she began counting to ten. Then twenty. When she reached fifty he just wished that she would yell at him so she would quit counting.

"Are you going to help her?" she finally asked, apparently fifty seven was the magic number to dissolve her anger.

"Feh."

The wench grinned at him and pat his head. "Good boy!"

"You owe me for this though."

"Sure sure. I owe you big time. Let's go tell them."

Inuyasha took a deep breath and let it go slowly. It wasn't a sigh. Dog demons don't sigh, that's something weak and pathetic humans did. Dog demons just sometimes need to take really long breaths.

"In a minute." He took another long breath, and covered her hand with his own. "Just give me a few minutes, then we'll go back and tell them."

Things were going to change. He just knew it.

He hated change.

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Author's Notes: Thanks for your reviews. I made sure to post this chapter soon after the second chapter (since it was so short) so my home wouldn't be showered with arrows of flames.


	4. Loss

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Four: Loss

March 27

Two days ago Hojo's fell apart.

After celebrating his beautiful wife's birthday they had tucked their daughter into bed and he stood at the door and listened to the nightly bedtime story. He loved listening to his wife's voice. It was soft and soothing, calming. The sound of it made his heart warm, filling him with a love he hadn't known was possible. She may have sworn that she lost all of her magic when she came to this side of he mirror, but he could still feel a tingle of magic whenever she was around.

Hojo let his head fall against the cool glass of the mirror.

Why had he left her alone? Why?

He never got to the shower that night. A small voice from the bedroom had called out to him before he could reach the linen closet to grab a towel. His daughter, Kaede.

"Daddy?"

"You're supposed to be asleep, sweetie." He stuck his head into her room and tried to look admonishing.

"But I wanted to say good-bye to Mommy."

Hojo remembered standing outside of his daughter's bedroom door, blood frozen in his veins. Quickly he had glanced down the hall, seeing his wife's reflection as she brushed her hair and singing softly to herself. It should have comforted him, but instead he was terrified. Perhaps it was the sure tone of his daughter's voice, or perhaps there was a swirl of magic in the air.

Then he saw the mirror ripple.

He bolted down the hall.

"KIKYO!"

She reached out to the image of Kagome.

"NO! Kikyo NO!"

But he had reached her too late. The mirror had taken her. His fingers had only been inches from her foot. He was too slow to save his wife. Now the only thing in the mirror was his own reflection. Only Kikyo and Kagome could make the mirror work, and now they were both on the other side of the mirror.

Was she alive?

Was she safe?

Hojo's eyes were red and swollen, but there were no more tears left inside him. Despair threatened to drown him. For two days he hadn't been able to pull himself away from the mirror. Not to eat or bathe or sleep.

With half an ear he listened to the sounds of voices in his living room. He sighed when he heard the soft padding of tiny feet. They were trying to lure him away again.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Gramma says you have to come eat."

"I'm not hungry, sweet heart."

"Gramma says you have to. She says you have to eat or you'll get sick. You don't want to get sick do you?"

Hojo sighed.

"Are you waiting for Mommy?"

"Yes, baby. I am."

Kaede crawled onto his lap and peered into the mirror. Reaching out, she touched to cool surface, then turned to her father with wise eyes.

"She's sad."

His throat constricted, and he laid his head on his daughter's. He felt her squirm as she tried to turn, then she pat his cheek.

"You can't see her through the mirror, Daddy. You don't have the magic." She wiggled off of his lap and stood up, pulling on his sleeve. "Gramma says if you don't come out right now she is sending in Great Grandpa to tell you stories."

"Just..." Hojo cleared his throat, hoping to make it sound less raw. He was sick at the thought of leaving the room. Regardless of how unlikely it would be, he couldn't bear to risk the chance of missing just one glimpse of his wife. But he couldn't hurt Kaede either. "Just give me a few more minutes."

Kaede stopped at the door and turned to look at him. "Mommy would be able to make you come eat..."

As he watched his daughter leave the room he realized that he was wrong.

He did have more tears in him.


	5. Sickness in the Morning

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Five: Sickness in the Morning

March 29

Blarg.

Kikyo rinsed out her mouth again and spat. Whatever bug she caught in this forsaken wilderness was making her feel miserable. She hated the woods. She hated the biting bugs. She hated the demon attacks. She really hated the unfiltered water. She hated every single thing about this wretched place.

Scooping up another handful of water to rinse the taste from her mouth, Kikyo sighed. It wasn't so much this place that she hated so much, it was being away from her husband and daughter that was eating away at her.

She missed them.

She missed telling Kaede bedtime stories. She missed her husband's warm smile when he greeted her every day. She missed her morning kisses. She missed hot bubble baths. She missed her daily ice cream fix. She missed going to school so that she could keep learning about her new world. She even missed listening to Hojo snore at night, it was difficult to sleep without it.

It has only been two days, but it felt like a lifetime.

The water had dribbled from her fingers, so she scooped up some more. This time she took several sips and began to swish the disgusting bug ridden water. Oh well, it was better than the taste of her regurgitated breakfast. The campfire cooked fish hadn't tasted all that great going down. It was even worse coming back up. How had she ever lived like this for so long? She missed waffles with berries and french toast with butter and sugary cereal with ice cold milk.

She really hated this place.

Would she ever get home? Would she ever see her family again? Was she stuck in this horrible nightmare forever? The only thing that kept her from going crazy was the fact that the jewel no longer seemed to care about her. As long as she wasn't tied to the jewel, there was still a chance that she might find back to her own world. … well… her NEW own world.

Unless… unless she needed the power of the jewel to get back. After all, she did have it when she first went through.

Kikyo let her gaze fall on Kagome thoughtfully.

The girl was annoyingly cheerful and good natured. Although she did have a slightly athletic build, there was still a softness about her. It probably wouldn't be too hard to get the jewel from her, even if it came down to a fight. She would just have to find a way to get the girl alone...

A chill went up Kikyo's spine.

Slowly she turned her head as she stopped swishing the water in her mouth for a moment. Inuyasha was glaring at her, his gold eyes were practically sparking fire. His sword hand seemed to be twitching and his body seemed to be preparing for battle.

Water dribbled down her chin as she smiled and let out a small laugh. Quickly she turned her head to spit out the water then wiped her mouth. She was amused. Inuyasha thought she was a threat to his mate. Once upon a time he had protected her like that. Though never with quite that amount of ferocity.

But was the girl even really his mate? With the way he protected her and looked at her, no one would doubt that he had chosen her as his mate. But they didn't sleep together. Kikyo had never even seen them kiss or touch in any way that was too intimate, not even holding hands. They were fools if they were waiting. Life was too uncertain to not grab onto love with both hands and never let go. When she got back to Hojo, she wasn't ever letting him out of her sight again.

Had she told him that she loved him that night? Did he know how much she really loved him, how much he meant to her? Why hadn't she told him more often? And she hadn't kissed him nearly enough! Once in the morning, once when he got home, once while making dinner, and a couple times before bed just wasn't enough. Why hadn't she kissed him every opportunity she had?

"Feeling any better?" asked Kagome as she walked over.

Kikyo's fingers itched to snatch the jewel, to find a way to force it to take her home back to her husband and daughter. A vicious growl kept her hands to herself since being gutted by the hanyou wasn't exactly on her To Do list for the day.

"Yes, thank you."

"We'll find a way to fix this," the girl said earnestly.

Kikyo closed her eyes, "I hope so."

The fox kit wrinkled his nose as he came to stand by Kagome. "You smell funny," he told Kikyo.

Her eyes narrowed. "I was just sick all over the place. I'd be more concerned if I didn't smell funny after that." Her heart lightened for a brief moment when Kagome giggled. She squashed it though, feeling a bit guilty for the slip. How could she be so selfish as to enjoy anything until she found a way back to her family?

"Of course she does, she's pregnant," said Inuyasha as he came over and picked up the kit by the tail and put him into Kagome's arms.

"What?" Kikyo's mouth fell open.

Everyone in camp stopped moving.

"What?" asked Inuyasha as everyone continued to stare.

"Smooth," laughed Miroku from the campfire before Sango shushed him.

Kagome smiled sympathetically, sank to her knees beside Kikyo and asked gently, "Are you late?"

Quickly Kikyo scanned her memories, frantically trying to remember the date of her last period. Oh yes. She was quite late.

"That… that doesn't mean anything…"

"How long have you been getting sick in the morning?"

"That can't be right," she said, ignoring the young miko's question. "I can't… I'm… no… not now… not while I'm HERE!"

She was going to have a baby. But Hojo wasn't there to share this with her. He may never be with her again. And Kaede...

Frantically Kikyo lurched towards Kagome, intent on taking the jewel. Before she could blink, Inuyasha was in front of Kagome's body with his sword drawn. Kikyo threw a punch. It hurt like the devil, quite possible broke some bones in her hand, but she didn't stop hitting. Or kicking. Or pulling any hair she found and scratching ever piece of skin she found. She HAD to get home. She had to get back to her family. Kagome and the jewel were the only keys.

"SEND ME HOME NOW!"

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Author's Note:

Sorry it has been so long between updates. I got so close to finishing one of my other stories that I decided to go ahead and finish it. But now I'm back on track with this story. I swear up and down it will be completed story though, so no worries.

I know this another short chapter (but not as short as chapter 2), but it is supposed to be a short chapter.


	6. Sisters Reunited

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. I also don't own Ranma 1/2 or Ouran High School Host club. I own depressingly little actually…

Chapter Six: Sisters Reunited

March 31

Shippo wasn't sure what he thought about Kikyo.

Sure he had seen her a zillion times or two, but that had been through Kagome's reflection in the water. It was totally different seeing the woman in person. He didn't understand all of Miroku's jokes that it was like they were twins and could not tell them apart. Anyone with a nose could tell that they were as different as night and day.

At first he had thought that having Kikyo around would be like having an extra Kagome around. That thought didn't last long though. Kikyo seemed to complain non-stop, when she wasn't throwing screaming hissy fits. Shippo agreed with Inuyasha that they should just ditch her somewhere, but he wouldn't dare voice his opinion after the scolding the dog demon got for the suggestion. Kagome could be scary sometimes.

"Be patient with her," She had told them once she had calmed down some and the fire from her eyes went away, "She just got separated from her entire family. Of course she's going to be upset. Show some compassion."

"Feh," Inuyasha had replied.

Feh, agreed Shippo. He was getting tired of listening to the complaining. He was tired of the speculative looks Kikyo would give Kagome when she thought no one was looking. He was tired of the woman taking up so much of Kagome's time and attention. And he was mightily sick of hearing Kagome cry when she tried to comfort Kikyo when she was crying. He'd be patient and compassionate once she was back on the other side of the reflection where she belonged.

But most of all he was tired of Kikyo reminding Kagome of how wonderful her original homeland was. What if Kagome chose to find a way back WITH Kikyo? What if all this talk of bubble baths and movie theaters and chocolate bars and banana splits made Kagome decide that she wants to leave? Were they just on a journey to Kaede's only to lose Kagome at the end of it?

They had been traveling for two days now, every since Kikyo tried to attack Kagome to force her to send her home. Frankly he thought they should have left her and continued on their own journey. Anyone who attacked Kagome was Shippo's enemy. He was more than ready to be rid of this… this INTERLOPER! Who cared if people thought she looked like Kagome? She WASN'T his Kagome!

They had to do something fast though. Sango was beginning to like the woman. They often sat (or walked) and talked about their families and the things they missed. Kagome would always sit (or walk) and listen, but rarely joined. Maybe it hurt to be reminded that she was separated from her mom, brother, and grandfather.

That's another reason to dislike Kikyo! She was reminding Kagome not only of the THINGS in her world that she missed, but also the people. Her real family.

Shippo changed position on Inuyasha's shoulder that he could get a better look at Kagome walking beside them. Kikyo was safely on the other side of Inuyasha. Luckily the dog demon kept himself between them at all times, Shippo either stayed with Kagome or sat on Kagome's side of Inuyasha. He wasn't taking any chances with this other miko either. He didn't trust her.

"I recognize this place," said Kikyo, interrupting Shippo's angry thoughts. "We must be getting close."

"Hopefully Kaede will be able to give us some good advice," Kagome said, leaning around Inuyasha's back to see the person she was talking to. It was a total accident that Shippo's tail happened to flick down and block their view. "If anyone will know what to do, it will be her."

"What will we do if Kaede sends them both back?" Shippo whispered in Inuyasha's ear.

"Shut up, runt."

"But Inuyasha… what if Kagome le…"

"Shut. Up."

The fox kit stuck his tongue out at the fuming dog demon, but remained perched on his shoulder. Usually at this point in an argument he would go off and be with Sango and Kirara or would hop up onto Miroku's shoulder, but Shippo didn't want to stray that far from Kagome. His other option would be to jump into Kagome's arms, but that would relax him too much and he wouldn't be able to keep watch over Kikyo in case she tried something again.

Besides, Kagome was holding Ryoku. Sango would tear him limb from limb if he so much as breathed too hard on the kid. Drop a baby ONCE and they never ever let you forget it. Sheesh… Humans!

"I hope there is a hot spring nearby," Kagome said wistfully, "Cleaning up in the cold river sure does leave a lot to be desired. I could use a nice long soak."

"With bubbles," laughed Kikyo.

"Lots of bubbles!"

Great. Just great. Now Kikyo had Kagome all excited and giggly about those stupid bubbles again. What's so great about a bubble bath anyhow? Next thing you know they would be talking about…

"And chocolate!" Kikyo makes that mmmm-ing sound and rubbing her belly.

"I miss chocolate," sighed Kagome.

"With almonds!"

"And nougat!"

"Or marshmallow!"

"Oooooh! I LOVE chocolate covered marshmallows!"

Shippo cringed as Kagome squealed over the chocolate covered marshmallows (whatever they were) as she tossed Ryoku up in the air and cuddled him when she caught him. She was getting too excited about stupid chocolate covered stuff. Is chocolate worth leaving him for? Or bubble baths? When was it someone else's turn to take Ryoku anyhow?

"I can't wait to get back home," Kikyo said quietly.

_Me either,_ grumped Shippo silently.

"I know what you mean."

It felt as if the blood in Shippo's veins had turned to ice. He felt Inuyasha tense underneath him. What did Kagome mean that she knew what Kikyo meant? Did that mean that she couldn't wait to get back as well?

"Back to bubble baths in candlelight," Kikyo smiled.

"And movies."

"And banana splits."

Kagome's eyes twinkled as she laughed. "And hamburgers!"

"The radio!"

"Television!" Kagome clapped her hands together happily, "Do they still show Ranma 1/2 on the anime network?"

Kikyo gave a smile. "I never miss it! Oh! And there is a great new one out called the Ouran High School Host Club! You should see it!"

"What's it about?"

"Who cares?" snapped Inuyasha before Kikyo could answer, stealing the words right out of Shippo's mouth. "We're almost at the old hag's."

"No need to be rude to the ladies," scolded Miroku cheerfully. And if anyone could find a way to scold cheerfully, it was Miroku. "They are just a little excited."

"You are such a pervert," Sango growled through gritted teeth.

"What did I say? I am innocent!"

"Innocent?" She snorted. "Ha! It wasn't WHAT you said, it was that creepy leer you did as you said it."

"Creepy?" Miroku held a hand to his chest, as if protecting his heart. "My darling lady, Sango. Your words wound me. I did not leer."

"Yes you did," said Inuyasha as he cracked his knuckles. "And if Sango doesn't hit you for it, I sure as h…" he glanced at Kagome's raised eyebrow and lips that threatened to turn into a frown as she bounced the baby, "I sure will." Swearing in front of the baby was discouraged. Greatly discouraged. Sometimes even painfully discouraged depending on the mood of the women.

Sango drummed her fingers on her giant bone boomerang, looking very threatening at the ever smiling Miroku.

"Is there a third choice?" he asked.

Kagome laughed as she tucked the baby into his father's arms and pushed Miroku towards the hut that was drawing closer. "How about you just stay on your best behavior while we visit Kaede and we'll let you live?"

Sango followed behind, grumbling about no good husbands.

Shippo hung back with Inuyasha. Kikyo wasn't moving any closer to the hut. She looked a little sad. The fox demon pushed away the kernel of sympathy he was feeling. It wasn't good to sympathize with the enemy, and as far as he was concerned, Kikyo was the enemy.

"We ain't got all day, y'know."

Kikyo glared at Inuyasha's comment and started stomping towards the hut. Kaede was already standing in front of it, leaning on her bow as if it were a cane. But when she got within two yards of the home she had left so long ago she stopped, as if suddenly frozen in her spot.

"Welcome home, sister," Kaede greeted with a bow of her head.

"…Kaede?"

The old woman smiled gently. "Aye."

Kikyo's lip trembled as she looked at her sister and her eyes got all liquidy. That stupid kernel of sympathy was back, but this time Shippo wasn't able to push it away so easily, so he looked away instead.

"Time has taken its toll on this old body."

"Tell us how to get rid of her." demanded Inuyasha.

Miroku chuckled. "Please pardon my overly enthusiastic friend, the journey has been long and difficult." He ignored Inuyasha's next colorful comment about speaking for himself (which he promptly got smacked for by Ryoku's unamused mother). "We are hoping that you will be able to assist us in sending Kikyo back to Kagome's time."

"Ye wish to return?"

"Yes." Kikyo looked over Kaede's shoulder. It was a trick some people used to look like you're looking at someone when you don't really want to look at them. Any time she made eye contact with her sister she got that sad look in her eye that made Shippo's stomach knot up.

For a few moments there was silence.

"Ain't you got nuthin' better to eat?" grumbled Inuyasha as he poked at the stew warming over the fire.

Kagome scolded Inuyasha for being so rude while Sango offered to send Miroku out for more firewood. Shippo and Inuyasha were shooed out to hunt up some small game while Sango and Kagome went off in search of berries and herbs. Kikyo looked uncomfortable being left alone with her sister, but Shippo shrugged it off. He and Inuyasha waited out of sight until they saw that Kagome was well away from the other miko. Not that they didn't trust her… well… that was a lie. They didn't trust her.

With a glance and a nod, Inuyasha and Shippo had made their silent plan. Shippo would stay and spy on the sisters while Inuyasha rounded up some food quickly then kept an eye on Kagome.

Spying on the sisters was rather boring. They didn't talk much, if at all. After Kaede put her bow and quiver of arrows back against the wall they just sort of sat there and looked at each other sadly. Even though they didn't know he was watching them, Shippo still felt uncomfortable.

"Are you happy there?" asked Kaede at last.

"Very happy. I have a husband and a child. I love them dearly. Every day they fill my heart with joy, and every day that I am apart from them it feels as if part of my soul is missing. I have a life in that world that I could only have dreamed of before. Yes, Kaede, I am very happy there."

"Midoriko," said Kaede after a short pause. "The only one who will be able to return you to your new home is Midoriko."

"How do we find her?"

Kaede looked sadly at her older sister. "Midoriko is not easily found."

"I have to return, Kaede! My family is there!"

Shippo cringed in sympathy for Kaede. That must have hurt. After all, Kikyo was the only family that Kaede had.

"I'm so sorry, Kaede." Kikyo apologized softly once she realized what she said. "I know you are my family. My younger sister. But my husband and my child, my beloved daughter Kaede, are waiting for me in the other world. Please understand how important it is th…"

"I understand, sister," interrupted Kaede with a kind voice as she patted her sister's hand. "Midoriko is not easily found, but it is possible. She has a clearing near a waterfall that she likes to return to from time to time that I believe is dear to her heart. Have Kagome call to her with the jewel. It may take minutes, or it may take days. Even weeks or months. Or even not at all." Kaede touched Kikyo's cheek gently before sitting up straight. "Do not give up, my sister. You will find your way home."

"Thank you."

The words were a whisper that Shippo could barely hear, even with his enhanced hearing. Once again he found himself fighting the urge to be sympathetic with her. From his hiding place he looked at the sisters. And for the first time since she came through the reflection, Shippo saw real hope shining in Kikyo's eyes.

Kaede's eyes glistened as well. "You named your daughter Kaede…"

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Author's Note:

Thanks for your reviews! I hope that during the story everyone's questions will be answered. I'm not ignoring your questions, but the answers may just take awhile to show up in the story. :O) If I get close to the end of the story (I think I've plotted out about 30 chapters), then let me know and I'll make sure the questions get answered.

Thanks again!


	7. Insecurities

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Seven: Insecurities

April 4

He was doing it again.

He was watching her.

Watching whenever she would touch her belly.

Was he wondering what it would have been like if she was carrying HIS child? Was he wishing that things had been different between them? Did he regret the time they lost together when the reflection stole Kikyo and he was stuck with her? Did he plan on protecting this child if Kikyo could not find her way home?

_Stupid question,_ sighed Kagome silently. _Of course he would. _But the real question was… did he plan on stepping in and take Hojo's place? Would she lose him? Or was he ever hers to lose to begin with?

_He watches her so closely,_ Kagome tortured herself a little more. _ He knows where she is every second of every minute of every day. _Several times Kikyo had stumbled as they walked, and Inuyasha's hand would shoot out and steady her. And he was almost always walking next to her. In fact, most of the time she would have to look around him to even catch a glimpse of the woman!

Not that she blamed him. Kikyo was a very beautiful woman. Kagome frowned at herself, wishing that she had just a small portion of that beauty. It wasn't the face or the hair that made her beautiful. It was the way she carried herself, the way her body moved when she walked, or the serene way she would talk. She was a woman comfortable with herself and comfortable with her powers. Of COURSE Inuyasha wouldn't be able to look away from her.

Shippo was watching her too.

The kit kept his eyes glued on the woman who looked so much like her. _Does he think that Kikyo would make a better mother? _After all, she already is a mom, and has a second child on the way! She's had plenty of practice doing all the mom-ish stuff. Kagome knew that she was just winging it when it came to mothering the kit. He probably missed being around a REAL mother.

Usually Kagome would talk to (complain at) Sango whenever she started feeling insecure or worried. But these days Sango was becoming such good friends with Kikyo and she never really got a chance to talk with her alone anymore. Kikyo and Sango had much more in common. Similar losses in the family. Grew up somewhat near each other. Knew some of the same people. Both fierce warriors. Not to mention they actually grew up in the same world. And most of all, they were both mothers.

They may be similar in appearance, but they were nothing alike. Kagome kicked at small stone on the path. She was fast becoming unnecessary.

"You have been unusually quiet this afternoon."

"So I'm usually loud and obnoxious, huh, Miroku?"

He looked at her critically. Her attempt at teasing fell woefully short. Placing a warm hand on her shoulder he squeezed it gently, causing Inuyasha to snap his head up from a few yards ahead and growl at him. Miroku quickly dropped the hand.

"It is natural to feel left out or jealous. But you are still Sango's best friend. Nothing can change that."

"Oh Miroku… it's not just that…"

"No?"

Kagome looked down at the ground and kicked at another stone. She had left out Miroku in her pity party of one.

How much more in common would a holy man have with a real priestess than with some new miko wannabe? Kagome knew that she was flying by the seat of her pants (well… skirt…) when it came to her powers. Miroku was still having to teach her so much, and quite frankly she felt like a dummy most of the time. Especially compared to Kikyo. Kikyo wouldn't be a burden to him. She wouldn't be taking precious time away from his own family.

She sighed. "Never mind. It's nothing."

Miroku chuckled and took her hand to pull her to a stop. A rock bounced off his head from a few yards ahead and he let the hand go. Rubbing his sore skull, the monk glared at the dog demon, then his gaze turned soft again when looking at Kagome.

"If it causes you stress, than it is not 'nothing', my dear Kagome."

Kagome bit her lip. "You are right, I was just feeling a little left out is all."

He looked at her as if he didn't quite believe her, but she smiled as brightly as she could at him, hoping it didn't look like the grimace of pain it felt like.

"Sango has a big heart, Kagome. Never fear that she will forget you or abandon you. She loves you. You are a part of her family."

_Yeah_, Kagome thought glumly as she tried to keep the smile on her face, _the clumsy tag-along little sister everyone is forced to babysit._

Miroku ruffled her hair, dodged another rock, and continued walking.

With a long suffering sigh, Kagome urged her feet to keep moving. She hoped they got to the clearing they were looking for soon. Once they made camp they would all be free to relax and have time to themselves. She was really looking forward to some time to herself to wallow in self pity.

"KAGOME!"

Her head snapped up. There was only time to gasp before Inuyasha's shoulder made contact with her stomach and she was being carried like a sack of potatoes at the speed of light. He leaped once then dropped her on her rear.

"You IDIOT!" he yelled as he spun around and drew his sword as a particularly nasty look boar demon shrieked and ran towards them. "You tryin' to get killed?"

Kagome scrambled to her feet, just in time to have Inuyasha shove her to the side.

"Get out of the way!"

The boar demon was quickly joined by a few of his smelly friends. Their tusks were huge and sharp, and a discolored yellow. Their snouts were wet and dripping mucus. Kagome's stomach turned just looking at them. But their smell nearly knocked her out. It smelled like something was rotting. How in the world did something that smelled so awful actually sneak up on her?

Inuyasha quickly cut through the first two boars. Sango showed up in time to battle a third while Miroku and Shippo protected the baby. As Inuyasha fought a fourth boar, another one snuck up behind him and made a move to attack. Quickly Kagome grabbed an arrow and notched in on the bow. She pulled back and aimed.

An arrow of blue light shot through the air and purified the boar to dust.

Kagome's head dropped and she let her unused arrow fall to the ground. Kikyo had saved Inuyasha.

Taking the opportunity to escape the enraged dog demon now that he was distracted, the remaining boar ran towards Kikyo. Calmly the miko reached for another arrow, but before she had a chance to draw it back, Inuyasha had jumped in front of her and sliced the demon in half. Kagome watched as Inuyasha stood protectively in front of Kikyo as it rained demon guts.

"I guess that answers that question," laughed Kikyo as she brushed… something (it was always best not to try and guess what the bits and pieces were) … off the sleeve of her shirt. "I wasn't sure if I would still have my powers or not since I no longer protect the jewel. But I suppose I do."

"Nice aim," complimented Sango.

"Indeed," agreed Miroku.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" shouted Inuyasha angrily as he stormed over and stood in front of Kagome, sheathing his sword. "You KNOW better than to straggle behind!" He cursed colorfully and his fists clenched before he crossed his arms. It looked like he was trying to keep himself from strangling her. Kagome was thankful for his self-control.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You almost got killed and you're SORRY?"

Kagome gripped her bow so tightly she was sure it would snap. "I said I was sorry, Inuyasha. What more do you want?"

"If you ever do that again, I'll… I'll…"

"You'll what?"

His eyes narrowed, cold and hard as topaz. "Don't do it again."

With trembling fingers Kagome reached down and retrieved her fallen arrow and put it back in the quiver. "Fine."

"What is the matter with you?" he growled.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" He was practically snarling at her.

She sniffed and turned her head. "Nothing." She stomped towards the path. "We should get going."

_Great. Just great._ Not only was she the weakest member of the group when it came to fighting, but because she was so obviously inept they were getting attacked by herds of prospective bacon. She wasn't angry at Inuyasha. She was disgusted with herself. Maybe it was time to start training a little harder. Why hadn't she taken martial arts instead of music classes when she was a kid? Or boxing. Or fencing. Something more helpful and useful. When she has kids, she was making sure they trained in some sort of self-defense.

Her eyes shot over to Kikyo's stomach then dropped down to the ground. Were kids even in her future?

Inuyasha stormed past her, yelling at Miroku to stay at the back to make sure there were no more lost sheep and for Shippo to stay with Kagome, who was blushing furiously. No one chastised him for the curses this time.

"He's just being protective," Sango assured her as she held her child close to her. It was the same after every demon attack. She would fight the enemies and Miroku would guard Ryoku with his barriers and spells. Then afterwards there was no prying the kid from her arms for hours.

"Yeah… sure, protective." More like he was hopping mad that she endangered them. And endangered Kikyo.

Kagome continued to mope silently for the next hour of walking. No stone was safe from her wrath as she kicked at them along the way. She knew that she was behaving like a petulant child, but she just couldn't help it. Her mood didn't improve even when they stopped for their evening meal.

The group was called to a halt and Inuyasha went off in search of food, giving orders for Sango to protect Kikyo while Shippo and Kagome search out firewood and Miroku makes the fire pit.

_Sango is protecting Kikyo?_ Kagome was astonished. Then crushed. Quickly she turned her head so that no one could see that tears were beginning to flood her eyes. Inuyasha was assigning Sango to protect Kikyo. She hadn't realized how used she was to always being protected until it was given to someone else instead.

Giving a watery smile to Shippo she hurried off to find some wood.

The job went by fairly quickly. They were lucky and found several dried branches and even a small fallen tree. Shippo took the branches and Kagome dragged the tree for Inuyasha to cut up into pieces. It was a lot of work, but at least it kept her mind off of depressing things. Once they got close to camp she saw Shippo look up into the trees and give a short sharp nod, then cheerfully bounce towards their clearing. Kagome looked around, but didn't see anything unusual. _Maybe he was talking to himself,_ she shrugged. Goodness knows he wouldn't be the only one who answered himself on occasion.

Kagome sat on the ground and stretched out her sore muscles.

"Are you not with Inuyasha?"

She turned her attention to Kikyo, a little surprised by the question. "No. He's out finding some dinner, Shippo and I went to get firewood."

Kikyo smiled gently, though it looked like she was trying not to laugh. "That is not quite what I meant. Are you and Inuyasha a couple? Mates? Married? What?"

"Gack!"

Shippo pat Kagome's back as she was apparently chocking on her own spit. _Very suave,_ Kagome told herself. _It's no wonder Inuyasha isn't panting after you._

"I thought for sure that you were." Kikyo took 'gack' to mean 'no'. "Why aren't you."

Kagome drew her knees up and rested her head on them. "He never asked."

_And_, she thought glumly, _it was unlikely that he ever would_. She watched as Inuyasha hurried into the campsite with the game he caught. He glanced at her, then his eyes immediately found Kikyo. His shoulders relaxed and he tossed the meat towards Miroku.

_Not now that you are here._

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Author's Note:

'Petulant' is my new favorite word (for now).

Thanks for your reviews! You guys are great and make it worth writing. :O)


	8. Hot Spring Dreams

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Eight: Hot Spring Dreams

April 5

Death seemed to be dogging his footsteps and breathing down his neck. He would not survive to see the sun rise.

Stress was going to kill him.

In addition to keeping watch for attacking demons and keeping Kagome safe (oh yeah, and the others too), now he had to keep track of every move that Kikyo made so she wouldn't make contact with Kagome, you know, just in case it triggered off some sort of reaction that sent his miko back to her own home. The clumsy wench was going fall right on Kagome one of these days, and who knows what would happen then. You can't be too careful when it comes to magic. It's tricky stuff.

He had to be on watch every second of every minute of every day.

When did he last sleep?

And Kikyo's pregnancy was causing him problems too. Every time he looked at her he thought of Kagome being pregnant. And that got him thinking about things he had no right thinking about.

Dang it.

Now everyone was tired and grumpy. He was half wishing a stray demon would pop up and eat the lot of them so he and Kagome could finally have two seconds of peace. It wasn't a charitable thought, but then again, these days he wasn't exactly feeling very charitable. They should count themselves lucky he hadn't snapped and gone on a rampaging murder spree.

Speaking of Kagome, what the heck was her problem these days anyhow? Half the time she was spitting mad and the rest of the time she bounced between being depressed or smiling with a creepy forced cheerfulness. She may be able to fool the others, but there was no way that she could fool _him_!

More than anything else he wished that he could get rid of Kikyo and have things back to where they were. Everything was just fine the way they were before she came. It was perfect! And now things were all messed up and he wasn't sure how to get things right again. But she was going to have a baby, and his conscience wouldn't let him leave her to fend for herself.

Kagome probably wouldn't let him anyhow.

Dang it.

Why did she have to have such a soft heart? That soft heart was responsible bringing Kikyo along. Not to mention all their other friends who traveled with them.

It was also responsible for the way she was favoring her left wrist, though she was trying to keep it a secret. She just HAD to dash to the rescue of some stupid cat in a tree just because some little girl was crying. What she should have done, instead of climbing that infernal tree, was to wait for him to come and he could have just jumped into the tree and tossed the fur bag to the kid. But nooooo, she had to go and play hero and twisted her wrist as she landed wrong and tried to catch herself before she hit the ground. Stupid fragile girl.

This was why stress was killing him. Every time he had her nice and safely tucked away she'd break off and do something dangerous. Didn't she know that she was breakable?

"Is there a hot spring nearby?" asked Sango.

"No."

The demon slayer cocked an eyebrow at him. "No?"

"No."

"May I speak with you in private, Inuyasha." she said as she passed her son to Miroku. In no way was it actually a question.

"Er… no."

This earned him several questioning looks. He kept his gaze away from Kagome. He knew that it was a dead give away that he was either lying or about to lie, but he still wasn't able to look at her and not tell her the truth.

"We need to keep moving." Inuyasha kept walking.

Miroku had the nerve to stop moving and sit right in the middle of the path. "I am truly sorry, Inuyasha," blatantly lied the monk, "But I did not realize how weary I was. It is utterly impossible for me to move even one more inch."

"Me either," said Shippo as he flopped dramatically to the ground.

Kikyo was already easing herself to the ground before Inuyasha looked in her direction. Unfortunately it looked as if Kagome was going to sit next to her! As nonchalantly as possible, he picked Kagome up by the arms and set her on the other side of Miroku. He sighed heavily, ignoring the girl's complaints. It was a sad day indeed when keeping _Miroku_ next to Kagome was the safest option.

Crooking her finger, Sango signaled to Inuyasha that he was to follow her. He let out an exasperated puff of air and charged off into the woods… in the opposite direction Sango was trying to lead him. He could hear her stomping angrily after him. Inuyasha listened to the voices of his companions fade. He stopped dead in his tracks when he felt they were far enough out of their pathetic human hearing range, but still close enough that he would be able to hear them.

"You lied."

Inuyasha shrugged.

"You LIED!"

Inuyasha shrugged again, a little more wary now that Sango's aura seemed to be heading towards battle mode. He kept his eyes on her hands to make sure she didn't go for one of her many weapons.

Her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched, as if it was taking all of her self control to not beat him to a pulp. "Why did you lie?"

He heard the baby cry and Miroku handed him to Kikyo. Good, at least that should keep her grabby hands away from Kagome for a little while. Luckily Shippo was jealous of the attention and had moved into Kagome's lap. The kit was finally good for something. He'd make sure she didn't touch her. Hmm… Kirara's jaws just snapped and Miroku was apologizing and professing his innocence. Again. The monk must have moved too far in one direction or the other.

"Are you even paying attention to me?"

"Fine, I lied. So what?" Kikyo was cooing over the baby and said Kagome's name. Was she trying to pawn the kid off on her? "We should get back to the others."

"First tell me why you aren't letting us bathe. We are tired. Sore. And in case your oh so superior nose has not informed you, we are also very smelly from the long walk and this morning's battle against those vulture demons."

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose, "I noticed."

"Then why are you trying to keep us from a bath?"

The dog demon studied the surly demon slayer. It was true that Sango dearly loved Kagome, and would fight to the death for her. However, she seemed to be awfully friendly with Kikyo. Would her new friendship with Kikyo cause her to react too slowly, or to take too many chances with Kagome's welfare? Would she tell Kagome then side with her when they tell him he is over-reacting?

Still, it sure would be nice to have another set of eyes and hands to keep Kikyo as far from Kagome as possible without looking too suspicious.

"I don't want them to touch."

"Kagome and Kikyo?"

Inuyasha nodded. "When they touched the first time, Kagome ended up underwater and Kikyo ended up on the other side of the mirror in Kagome's bedroom."

"They crossed worlds through their reflections."

"Yes. I don't know why or how, but it happened. When she touched her reflection again, Kikyo was pulled back into this world, and the magic tried to drag Kagome back to her old world."

Sango sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly. "You think that if they touch again that Kagome might be taken away."

He nodded again.

"I've seen them touch, Inuyasha. Nothing happened."

The dog demon's stance changed as he automatically fell into defense. "I won't take chances with Kagome's life." He growled and tried to get his temper under control as Sango's amused glance turned wary. "Look," he tried to explain rationally, "It might be different when they are around their reflections. They always seem to be drug under water and taken away."

Sango's eyes widened and she turned to glance worriedly back where the others were waiting. "I see…"

"I can't risk it."

"We have to bathe sometime, Inuyasha." She turned to walk back to the rest of the group. Calling out over her shoulder she said, "But do not worry, I will make sure that they do not go anywhere near each other."

Grudgingly Inuyasha agreed to show them the way to the hot spring in exchange for Sango's solemn oath that she would not let Kikyo touch even so much as a hair on Kagome's head. Satisfied that he had an ally to keep an eye on things, he led the way back to where the others were waiting. His ear twitched slightly as a small rock flew by his head.

Miroku turned and glared accusingly at Inuyasha, then realized it was his wife who beaned him on the back of the head. She was angry. In fact, it rather looked like she was about to erupt into flames at any moment.

Inuyasha smirked as Kagome cleared her throat and whispered, "Miroku… your hand…" to the monk in warning.

The monk snatched his hand off of Kikyo's belly as if it were on fire. A very un-monk-like curse word escaped and he backed far away from the bare bellied woman. He took his son from Kagome's arms and cuddled him (translation: used him as a shield).

"It is not what it appears…" he almost stuttered.

"I asked him if he wanted to feel."

Sango's wrath turned squarely onto Kikyo, making Inuyasha wonder if all his worrying about what the pregnant woman was going to do in the future was now a moot point. Not many living creatures that saw that look on Sango's face actually HAD a future.

"You… _asked_… him… to… _touch_… you…?" The words were hissed out slowly.

Kagome's smile disappeared and she stood up to place herself between the very angry demon slayer and Kikyo. That, of course, caused Inuyasha to place himself between Kagome and Kikyo, which earned him a confusing glare from his miko.

"Sango… In my world, lots of people go around feeling up…" She backed up a step, obviously realizing her poor choice of phrasing. "What I mean is, pregnancy is such a miraculous thing, right? And it is an amazing thing to feel a baby growing inside, right? In my world," Inuyasha frowned at that particular phrase. After all, it wasn't really her world anymore. "In my world, it is very common to have someone touch your belly to kind of… well… share the magic of it." She brought her hands up to her chest and clutched them, it was her classic begging pose. "Remember when you used to let us touch your belly?"

Unfortunately, as far as Inuyasha was concerned, Sango began to calm down. She even went so far as to be apologetic for her temper. He snorted in disgust. Didn't anyone hold a grudge anymore? Kagome's soft heart must be contagious.

"Let's get moving," he grumbled. "We want to set up camp soon," he paused and sneered at Sango, "So you can baaaathe."

Kagome jogged to catch up with him. "I thought you said there weren't any hot springs around here."

"Well, there is now."

She squinted up at him, "What, one just appeared out of thin air?"

"Do you want to take a stupid bath or not?"

"He sure is in a bad mood," Shippo remarked as he walked behind Kagome, and a few paces in front of Kikyo.

"If we skip the baths," said Sango from the rear, "Would we be able to make our destination by tomorrow?"

Inuyasha paused, slightly suspicious of this sudden change of heart. "If we don't stop until nightfall, we can be at the clearing before dinner time tomorrow."

"I can put up with one more day of stink," she told him.

"I guess I can too," Kagome said.

Inuyasha turned his head to hide his grin. "If I carry Kagome and Shippo, and Kirara carries the rest of you, I bet we can make up enough time so we can get there by lunch."

Kagome let out a whoop of joy and immediately hopped onto his back. Automatically he reached down to steady her legs and adjust her position. He felt Shippo leap up onto his shoulder, then he took off at a dead run.

It felt good to run with Kagome. More than good. Fantastic! With the wind whipping past his ears, and her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him, Inuyasha could almost believe that it was just the two of them in all the world. He was fairly certain that the others wouldn't be far behind.

If not, well then, they could just catch up.

He intended to enjoy this fleeting moment.

"Hold on!" he called back to the miko laughing happily on his back, giddy from the ride. Then he picked up speed and leapt through the treetops and into the air.

He always knew that with Kagome he could fly.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	9. Emotions Erupt

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story (AU fic that makes more sense when you read Mirror Images first) belongs to me.

Chapter Nine: Emotions Erupt

April 8

Okay, so offering to let the slayer's husband touch her belly had been a rather bad idea. Now Sango seemed to be watching her closely, as if she might spring and attack at any moment. She grown so accustomed to people touching her stomach when she was pregnant with Kaede that it seemed natural to offer to let him put his hands there. It hadn't occurred to her that it would upset anyone. She just... just wanted to share this with someone.

Of course, Miroku wasn't the man she wanted to share the miracle growing inside of her with. If Shippo had been the one sitting next to her at the time she would have made the offer to him. Or Kagome. Or Sango. Probably not Inuyasha though, not that he would anyhow. He always looked like he was trying to decide if he should kill her or not.

This was a nightmare.

Kikyo let her head drop back against the tree trunk she was leaning on. _ I just want my family back. I miss my little girl. I miss Hojo. _She banged her head against the tree. _I should be at home planning Kaede's birthday party in a few short months. I should be seeing a doctor about prenatal vitamins. I should be sleeping in my own comfortable bed in my own comfortable air conditioned home beside my own husband. _She slumped to the ground and held her head in her hands. Heaven help her, she couldn't sleep through the night without hearing his soft snore.

Her head lolled to the side and she glanced around camp. Everyone was so infuriatingly cheerful. They were all acting like this was some sort of family camping trip and it was driving her crazy. Sango and Miroku played with and cooed at their baby. Shippo was playing some kind of chasing game with the fire cat. Kagome seemed to be playing den mother while stealing glances at Inuyasha while he stole glances at her while he was getting the fish ready to cook.

Traveling had been rough, but not nearly as difficult as the waiting. At least when they were traveling it felt like they were actually DOING something. The sitting around waiting for Midoriko to show up was absolutely killing her!

"Can't Kagome try 'calling' Midoriko again?" She knew her voice had that slightly irritating whine to it, but couldn't help it.

"She 'called' just about all day yesterday," growled Inuyasha as he viciously speared the last fish and stabbed the stick into the ground, "And has been 'calling' all morning and afternoon. She has to eat and rest."

Kikyo rolled her eyes. She knew she wasn't being fair or grateful, but it felt as if time was slipping away from her. It felt that if she didn't get home soon that her chance would be lost.

"So she'll try to 'call' Midoriko again after we eat, right?"

"Lady Kagome is tired," said Miroku with his calming voice, "Perhaps it would be best if she started again tomorrow."

Kikyo crossed her arms in front of her chest, hating herself for feeling and acting so childish. SHE would be 'calling' Midoriko non-stop if SHE were still the protector of the jewel. She could feel burning tears welling up in her eyes. Just sitting here was wasting precious time that she didn't have. Her family must be so scared. Was Kaede crying for her? Was Hojo getting enough to eat? Did that man eater, Eri, think she was gone forever and was making a move on her husband right this moment? Were they drinking milk gone bad? Hojo never checked the expiration date on the carton.

"If I were still protector of the jewel, I would not have been a quitter," she grumbled her thoughts under her breath.

THUMP!

Kikyo was startled out of her tears. She looked up to see a seething dog demon, one who just embedded his sword in the ground two inches from her feet.

"What did you say to her?"

Good heavens above. He actually looked like he might actually use that weapon on her. What crawled up his drawers and put him in such a bad mood? It wasn't like his old friends from high school was chasing after his spouse while everyone got sick on expired milk. Was he growling at her? Were his eyes turning red?

"Inuyasha! What are you doing?"

She should probably be terrified that the angry dog demon was going to kill her. But really she just felt envious. Kagome had jumped up and yelled at him, and he refused to give up his protective stance. Inuyasha would fight the world for her, would stand between her and anything or anyone who would cause her to cry. He loved her. Even though he may never actually say the words to her, he loved her.

Kikyo flopped back onto the ground and brought her forearm up to cover her eyes. She couldn't bear to look at them for one more moment. They had each other, and her family was lost to her. She wanted to go home.

As expected, Kagome told the group that she just needed a quick break to eat something and stretch her muscles a bit then she would be fine for going back into her trance. Kikyo knew that she should feel satisfied that she was getting her way, but she still felt as if she were spoiling for a fight. She wondered if it was her out of whack hormones at fault, or the lack of sleep she had been getting, or if it was her desperation to get home, or if it was because she was constantly with these people who were practically strangers and was feeling a bit claustrophobic. Probably a combination, she decided as she went back to watching the group.

Well, watching Kagome at any rate. It hurt too much to look at Sango and Miroku with their son. It hurt to see them touch.

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha again as she was cheerfully tending the fish that were roasting by the fire. but she turned her head as soon as he turned towards her. They were acting like kids with crushes, but too shy to do anything about it. Kikyo narrowed her eyes. What was WRONG with them?

"What?" asked Kagome as she turned towards Kikyo.

Oops, she must've spoken that out loud. Oh well, she was looking for a fight wasn't she?

"What is wrong with you?"

Kagome stopped what she was doing and turned her attention towards her. So did everyone else, actually. Inuyasha glared at her, and Kikyo glared right back. Kagome cleared her throat and looked meaningfully at the others, who promptly decided it was time to talk a walk. It took an extra throat clearing to get Inuyasha to leave (though he wouldn't leave until he had a little chat with Kirara so she would stand between the two women).

It was rather insulting that they were taking bets on who was going to kick whose tail. After all, it really was no contest. Kagome may be in better shape, but Kikyo had grown up in this rough world and knew much more about fighting. Plus she was pregnant, and no way was the other miko going to do anything to actually harm the baby.

Once everyone was gone, Kikyo stood, torn between amusement and irritation that the fire cat demon not so subtly placed herself between them. Considering the mood she was in, she decided to go with irritation.

"Okay," said Kagome between gritted teeth, "What is your problem?"

"My problem?" Kikyo stood up. "My PROBLEM?"

Kagome took a deep breath, the kind she used when she was trying to keep her temper. Pretty soon she would be counting to ten. "Look, I know that you're upset. I know that you want to get back to your family. And you will. We'll find a wa..."

"You do NOT know how I feel!" Kikyo snapped as her hands clenched into fists. "You're here with the man YOU love. The man I love is what? Across space? Across time? Across dimensions? I may never get to see him again. My CHILD is over there! I may never see my little girl again! I may never get to hug them or kiss them or tell them that I love them again!" She touched her stomach. "And what if my unborn baby NEVER gets to see his or her father?"

"Kikyo... I..."

Kikyo took an angry step forward, ignoring Kirara's growl. "The love of my life is so far away I may never find my way back to him. And YOU!" She jabbed her finger in Kagome's direction. She wasn't able to get close thanks to Kirara morphing into her giant fire cat size when the yelling started. "YOU are here with the man you love and you WASTE every single second of it!"

"What? No I..."

"You have been with him for how long again? How many years? And you still aren't even holding hands?"

"We have too hel..."

"You are an IDIOT and I HATE you!"

Kagome's mouth dropped open, but no sound came out. Kikyo took another step forward, but Kirara snapped at her and she stopped. She was certain that Kagome wouldn't actually try to hurt her, but she wasn't so sure of the angry cat demon in front of her.

"I hate that you have everything and are wasting it! I hate that you dance around each other like you haven't been sleeping only a few feet apart every single night for the past few years while I may never get the chance to sleep next to my husband again! You don't say you love each other every chance you get! What is the matter with you?"

With her vision blurred by tears, Kikyo turned and punched the tree she had been leaning on. She hit it one more time before sliding down to the ground and covering her face and screaming.

"You're an idiot," she whispered harshly.

Kagome sighed. Kikyo looked up in time to see her waving Inuyasha and Shippo back into the trees to give them privacy. He glared at them but stepped back anyhow.

"You're right," the girl whose life she stole said as she sat down in front of her. "I don't know how you feel. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you. I'm sorry if we haven't been sensitive enough. But we really are going to do everything we can do to get you back to them."

"Stop being nice to me, I'm trying to stay mad."

Kagome laughed, which made Kikyo laugh. She wiped her eyes and sighed heavily before drawing her knees up and resting her head on them.

"He hasn't asked."

"Hmm?"

Kagome's shoulders slumped. "He hasn't asked to... you know... go further..."

"You're waiting for him to ask?"

"Yes, and he hasn't, so we haven't."

"You are waiting for HIM to ask?"

"Well, yeah..."

Kikyo laughed even louder. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"I am not!"

"Okay..." Kikyo had to pause to snort out another laugh, "So, just how long do you plan to wait until he makes the first move?"

"Er..."

"Why aren't you making the first move?"

The anger just sort of vanished as she watched Kagome flounder. Leaning back she cocked an eyebrow, which just made the girl stutter out more nonsense. It was amazing how much better blowing up felt. Yelling and screaming felt almost as good as a good crying binge. Of course, she sighed, that would probably come later tonight when she fell asleep alone again.

Nope.

That crying binge was going to happen right about now. Stupid hormones. It was so much easier to keep the tears at bay when she had her anger to hold on to. Why did Kagome have to be so nice? She really wanted to hate her right now.

"I want to go home."

"I know."

"I miss Hojo and Kaede..." Kikyo sobbed into her hands. "I miss Mom and Souta."

"Me too." Kagome's voice wavered. "I miss them too."


	10. Midoriko's Aid

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but the Alternate Universe this story takes place in (as well as the story) belongs to me.

Chapter Ten: Midoriko's Aid

April 23

"If you ask me one more time if Kagome is still calling for Midoriko, I swear that I will rip out your entrails and serve them to Shippo for dinner."

"Leave me out of this, Inuyasha," griped the kit.

Kikyo growled. "I haven't seen my husband and child in almost a MONTH! I want to go HOME!"

"Yeah, well, we WANT you home!"

Surprisingly enough, the dog demon's words did not placate the miko. Then again, soothing others was never really his strong suit. There were days when it surprised Shippo that his sharp tongue didn't get him killed… by his friends.

"We have been just sitting twiddling our thumbs here for, what, a week now? We should be DOING something!"

"I'll tell ya what you can do," the dog demon growled.

Shippo quickly grew bored of the now daily argument and went to go sit by Kagome. It wasn't exciting watching the miko sit with her hands clasped around the jewel and murmuring to herself as she called for Midoriko. But it was nice to be near her. Even if he just sat and did nothing, it was comforting being near her.

Taking the opportunity of a free lap, Shippo crawled on and made himself comfortable. He watched as Kagome's lips twitched in a smile. He figured that it must be pretty lonely sitting there all day with eyes closed and no one talking to her. It must be doubly hard listen to Kikyo and Inuyasha fighting all the time and not able to stop them. It must be just has hard to listen to Sango and Miroku laughing and playing with their kid and Kirara. And, of course, Shippo did a lot of laughing and playing too. Everyone was having fun except for Kagome. Well, it didn't really sound like Kikyo was having much fun either.

"Shippo," hissed Kikyo, "Don't disturb Kagome!"

"Leave the brat alone," snarled Inuyasha. "He ain't bothering nobody."

"He's breaking her focus."

"Leave them alone."

Shippo was tempted to bite at the fingers reaching for him. Luckily, Inuyasha's sword was suddenly between him and the approaching woman. The fox kit smirked in triumph. An unusual sound caught his attention. He looked around to figure out what it was. Kagome's heavy breathing brought his attention to her face. That's when he noticed her jaw moving slightly. Kagome was grinding her teeth. Her features were tight, as if she was trying to fight something.

Her temper.

Shippo sighed. Any minute now, Kagome was going to lose her temper and yell at Kikyo and Inuyasha again. This would cause the bickering of the other two to escalate. Then everyone would start fighting. Then Kikyo would flare up her purifying miko magic again and Miroku would have to put up another barrier while Sango and Kagome would have to find a way to gently take down the raging, and pregnant, ex-priestess. He knew because that was pretty much done on a daily basis as well.

With a sagging spirit, Shippo crawled off of Kagome's lap and went to the camp fire. Maybe he'd amuse himself by casting some foxfire magic into the flames to make them dance around.

It didn't surprise him much when Inuyasha dropped down beside him. Usually after fighting with Kikyo, Inuyasha would seek him out to complain that the fox kit shouldn't let her push him around and that he has every right to sit with Kagome. Often he would pick Shippo up and plop him back in Kagome's lap or on her shoulder.

"Do you really think Midoriko will come?" asked Shippo.

"Yeah. But she better get here quick before I just toss her off a cliff and be done with it."

"You wouldn't hurt the baby though."

"Hmmph. We'll wait till after she has the kid, then toss her off a cliff."

Shippo laughed at the image. Then he turned to look at Kikyo. She was rubbing her belly again, probably talking to her baby some more. It seemed an odd thing to do. He wondered if she was trying to comfort the baby, or be comforted by the baby.

"Do you think Kagome will ever have a baby?"

Inuyasha choked and sputtered. "WHAT?"

"A baby, idiot. Do you think Kagome will have one?"

"How should I know?"

Just that quickly, Shippo found himself alone again by the fire. Inuyasha had fled towards the cover of the trees. Of course he couldn't be too far. He was never too far out of reach just in case Kikyo got too close to Kagome.

"Foxfire," he whispered.

The flames began to bob and dance. A soft meow alerted him to Kirara's presence. Shippo smiled at the fire cat.

"Foxfire!" he called louder.

This time the flames shot up high and began to spin around. Kirara meowed her approval. Shippo smile grew bigger.

"FOXFi…"

"Stop playing with fire!" scolded Kikyo. "You'll hurt someone."

Shippo crossed his arms and scowled. "I was just practicing my magic."

"Well, practice it AWAY from everyone else."

Inuyasha reappeared, confirming that he had not gone far. "You tryin' to send the kid out there alone? You want him to get eaten or mangled?"

"I didn't say that! But I don't want him to catch any of us on fire either!"

A piercing scream broke the air.

"Do you two HAVE to bicker ALL THE TIME!" snapped Sango as she picked up her screaming child and began to bounce him to calm him down. "You're fighting is upsetting my son!"

Shippo sighed heavily and walked back towards Kagome. With luck he could find a spot to be with her where no one would notice. But with all the fighting he could probably sit on top of her head and they wouldn't notice. There were just some days when it didn't pay to wake up, and this was turning out to be one of those days. At least Sango hadn't broken out her weapons… yet.

This time Shippo chose to lie down beside Kagome. With his hands behind his head he looked at the clouds, and tried to ignore the ruckus at the campsite. Looking over he saw Kagome's small smile. She knew he was here. Needing to be closer to her, Shippo stretched just enough so that his foot was resting on her knee. Some contact was better than none, after all.

The clouds were perfect for watching. They were soft and fluffy looking. Kagome called them cotton candy clouds. There was just a tinge of pink to them to give them some color.

But why was the pink pulsing like that?

No… it wasn't the clouds. It was Kagome! Shippo scrambled to his feet and took a couple of steps back. The pink light was coming from Kagome.

It was coming from the jewel.

"Inuyasha!" called Shippo.

But no one could hear the kit above the shouting. So he watched Kagome alone. The pink light engulfed her, poured out of her, made her glow. Then he heard a musical, tinkling sound coming from behind him. Quickly he turned to face the intruder, ready to protect Kagome.

"INUYASHA!" he screamed.

This time the dog demon heard. The camp fell silent as the woman walked slowly into their camp, unafraid of the group regardless of the fact that four of them were wielding weapons that were aimed directly at her. The slayer had her boomerang, the short haired miko had a bow and arrow, the monk had a staff, and the dog demon had a sword, though goodness knows with those teeth and claws he did not really need a weapon. A fire cat demon was standing protectively over a baby boy with her teeth bared. Only the miko sitting on the ground and the fox kit she held were not armed.

"Midoriko," said the sitting miko with a welcoming voice.

"Kagome." She studied the group, and frowned. "Kikyo?"

"Midoriko," she gasped, before dropping her bow and arrow and bolting towards the intruder. "You came!"

Sango and Miroku relaxed, though Inuyasha did not even drop the tip of his sword. Kirara also refused to relax enough to even morph into her smaller form.

"I must admit that I am shocked to find you both together," she frowned at them disapprovingly. "It should not be possible. And," she sighed, "It is very distressing. You are not meant to coexist on the same plane. For reasons I can only guess, the jewel allowed you to take each others places in your own worlds. However, two can not live in the same world. It could cause a great disturbance in the balance of life in both worlds."

"Please send me home!" begged Kikyo.

Midoriko nodded solemnly. "This situation must be rectified as soon as possible. Things will be as they should."

Kikyo's laugh is broken by a sob that she couldn't hold back. "Thank you," she whispered. "Oh thank you so much!" She wiped the tears from her face and asked, "When can you send me home?"

Instead of answering, Midoriko brought her hands together and began chanting.

Spinning around, Kikyo faced her traveling companions over the last month. She gave them each a smile. Quickly she ran over to where Kirara was guarding Ryoku. She pat the fire cat on the head and said good-bye, then blew a kiss to the baby.

Next she turned to Miroku. She stepped forward to hug him, but decided against it. "Good-bye, Miroku," she said.

"Safe journey."

She did hug Sango though. "Good-bye, Sango. I'll miss you. You've been a good friend to me."

"Be happy, Kikyo."

"Bye, Inuyasha." She gave him a wave.

"Yeah." He looked off beyond the trees. "Just hurry it up, will ya?"

Unperturbed, Kikyo walked over to Shippo and pat him on the head as well. "Take care of Kagome, kid."

"I will. Bye."

"Good-bye, Shippo." She paused for a moment and waited for Kagome to stand up. "Good-Bye Kagome."

"Tell everyone I love them. Tell them I miss them. Take care, Kikyo."

"Things will be as she should be," said Midoriko as she ended the chant and turned her face to the sky, arms opening.

Kikyo stepped forward to give Kagome a hug good-bye. Inuyasha heard the movement and rushed towards them, but he wasn't quite fast enough. As soon as Kikyo's arms wrapped around Kagome, the air crackled and hissed. White light erupted from the embracing women as winds tore through the campsite. Sango and Miroku huddled over their child as Inuyasha jumped into the light to rescue Kagome. Shippo could only watch helplessly, saying his own prayers.

But almost as soon as it began, the storm of light and winds was over.

Midoriko was gone.

And so was Kagome.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please don't kill me.


	11. Where I Belong?

Okay y'all, put down the sporks and torches. Next chapter is up.

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but the Alternate Universe this story takes place in (as well as the story) belongs to me.

Chapter Eleven: Where I Belong?

April 23

THUMP!

"Ow!"

Kagome landed face first after falling through the light. The pain shooting through her nose made her wonder if she had broken it. That wouldn't be good. After all, there weren't exactly a whole lot of good plastic surgeons where she was.

Digging her fingers into the grass, she quickly pushed herself up to her knees. Only… it wasn't grass…

"Kikyo!"

Before she could get her bearings, a pair of arms surrounded her, knocking her slightly off balance. Drops of water hit her face and neck. Tears, she realized numbly. Suddenly she was forcefully thrust away. She managed to keep her balance and jumped to her feet in case of another attack. After blinking a couple of times, she got a look at her assailant. It was a man. A man who looked vaguely familiar.

"Hojo?"

It looked like him, but only barely. He was way too thin and gaunt, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. His eyes were wide and seemed to be slightly sunken in. They were so red that she could barely tell what color they were. To say that he was disheveled would actually be a compliment. When was the last time he combed his hair? Or changed his clothes? Or shaved? Or brushed his teeth?

She felt bad for her unkind thoughts, until he grabbed her by the arms and began shaking her like a rattle.

"Where is Kikyo?"

"I… I don't know…" She was home?

"WHERE IS KIKYO?"

"I don't know!" She looked around the room frantically. Yes, she was definitely on the other side. The wrong side.

"Bring her back!"

His face was streaked with tears. Her heart hurt for him. But the feeling of his hands on her arms was setting her teeth on edge. She was a bit startled that he was still touching her. After all, Inuyasha never let anyone touch her, let alone shake her.

Inuyasha.

Suddenly her heart no longer had room to hurt for Hojo. She had her own pain.

Pushing Hojo aside, Kagome looked for the mirror, but only saw her own desperate reflection. She had to get home. She had to get back to Inuyasha. Her fingers hit the solid glass as she tried to push her way back through. She clawed at the mirror. Hit it. Yelled at it. Threatened it. Begged and pleaded with it. But the glass continued to be a simple mirror.

"Daddy?"

Kagome and Hojo turned to the doorway to see a little girl in her pink pajamas. After wiping his eyes, Hojo held out his arms for his daughter.

"Kaede. I want you to meet someone."

Kaede walked over to her grieving father and gave him a hug and a comforting pat on the cheek. Then she turned to their unwitting guest.

"Hello, Aunt Kagome."

Kagome and Hojo looked at each other in surprise. Throughout the years they had been careful to keep Kaede away from this fantastical part of life. Instead Kikyo and Hojo told the story through bedtime stories and fairytales. Kagome had the unsettling feeling that Kaede knew so much more than a three year old should. Her eyes were not the eyes of a small child. They reminded her of… well… of the other Kaede. Calm and wise.

"Uh…hi, Kaede."

The little girl untangled herself from her father's arms and went over to Kagome, who was slumped on the floor by the mirror. Kaede reached over and pat her cheek too.

"It will be okay," she said.

Kagome laughed. It seemed silly to be comforted by such a small child. Kikyo's child. Then Kagome cried.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

It seemed like hours before Kagome was able to stop crying, often accompanied by Hojo. Kaede had watched patiently. Eventually Kagome washed her face and brushed her hair, then called her mother. She would not, however, let the mirror out of her sight.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Hello?" The voice was tired, but wary. Kagome hadn't bothered to look at the clock. It had been so long since she had to worry about what time it was.

"Hi, Mama."

"……." There was silence, then a slow, deep inhale. "Kagome?" she whispered.

Kagome meant to say something witty. Something to make her mom smile or laugh. But she couldn't do anything besides cry. Who would have thought that she even had tears left to shed?

"Shhh… shhhh… its okay, Kagome. Everything is going to be okay. Take a deep breath, baby."

The deep breath helped a little, and Kagome was finally able to find her voice.

"I'm at Hojo's. I don't know how I got here, Mama." Her voice wavered, but at least she was able to get the words out.

"I'll be there in a few minutes, baby." Her mother's voice squeaked a little. "Oh, how I've missed you!"

Kagome hung up the phone with shaking fingers as she struggled to control her out of control emotions. She was going to see her mother again. She was going to get to actually touch her. Hug her. Kiss her cheek. A part of her felt guilty for that small kernel of happiness.

The wait wasn't long. In fact, she hardly got a chance to start berating herself for feeling happy to see her family again before the front door was flung open. Evidently Kikyo and Hojo had not moved far away from her family.

"KAGOME!"

"SIS!"

"KAGOME!"

Her lip trembled as she heard the familiar voices. Jumping up she met the woman at the door. They both cried and talked and cried some more as they hugged each other. Then her brother and grandfather took turns giving her awkward hugs.

"Mama… I missed you. I missed you all."

"We missed you too, Kagome."

"What was it like?" asked her younger brother excitedly. "Did you really hunt demons? Did you get to kill any? Are Inuyasha's ears real? Are you back for good? Did you…"

Kagome's mother gently put a finger on her son's mouth. "We'll have time for questions later, Souta. Why don't you and Grandpa take Kaede to the kitchen and make us all some tea. Perhaps some sandwiches would be nice, too. We will join you in a moment."

Souta huffed, but did as he was told.

After closing the door, the woman turned to Kagome and Hojo.

"I am happy to see you, Kagome. But I know that this is not where your heart lies. There is always hope." She held out her arms for her son-in-law and her daughter to walk into. The three held on to each other. Each in tears.

"Everything will work out in the end," she promised softly.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews! I'll keep writing whether or not I get reviews, but they really make my day. Well, maybe not death threats or promises or dire retribution, but other than that I enjoy them. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Yes, I know that it is shortish, but variety is good for the soul. Sorry it took so long to update. Been having Internet issues. Arg.

Next chapter we get to take a little visit and see how Inuyasha and Kikyo are holding up. Y'know, see if they've killed each other or not. :o)


	12. Demon vs Miko

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but the Alternate Universe this story takes place in (as well as the story) belongs to me.

Chapter Twelve: Demon versus Miko

April 23

"It's time to move on," said Miroku gently, not quite daring to touch the dog demon's shoulder to get his attention.

"Move on?" snarled Inuyasha.

Miroku took a step backwards. It was never a good sign when you could see a hint of red in his eyes.

"MOVE ON?" So perhaps maybe that was the wrong choice of words.

Inuyasha leapt to his feet, though didn't advance on the monk. He didn't dare leave the water. He had been sitting by the water every since Kagome was taken from them, waiting (impatiently) for her reflection to appear. Well, after his short destructive rampage that is. On the plus side, they had plenty of firewood.

"We ain't leavin' without Kagome!"

Miroku sighed. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy convincing the dog demon to move on. But they couldn't sit here forever looking at the water in hopes the girl would spring out of it. Shippo often sat with him. Neither would speak, they would just stare at the water. Waiting.

Doing nothing was accomplishing nothing.

Of course, Kikyo was almost as bad as Inuyasha. She spent all her time staring into the water as well. Though now she stayed a healthy distance from Inuyasha. Last time she got within a few yards of him he had tossed her in the water and held her head under, screaming at her to give Kagome back. It had taken both him and Sango to rescue Kikyo. Though he feared that his wife was a little reluctant with the rescue. _At least,_ he told himself, _she didn't help Inuyasha drown her. _

_Yet._

"We need to search for a way to bring her back," Miroku said, using his most calming and soothing voice. "We can not do that from here."

"I ain't leaving."

"As long as we have Kikyo we will have a way…" Dang. He just HAD to go and say her name. He had nearly forgotten how scary Inuyasha could look when anyone brought her up. The grip he had on his sword worried him. He looked ready to fight. Miroku wasn't sure if he would be attacked first, or the woman who was now eyeing them warily.

"It is not my fault, _Inuyasha_." Funny how the woman could make his name sound like a derogatory word. Kikyo really should stop baiting him though. "And if you dare even draw that sword I will shoot off those fuzzy ears Kagome seems to like so much." And of course, she did have her bow drawn. These days she was always armed. Which was actually kind of smart of her considering her temperamental companions.

"I'm going to kill you."

"Try it, dog."

Miroku looked to Sango for a little help, but the slayer seemed to be ignoring the fight as she wrapped up their son and began to strap him to her in preparation for the long walk ahead of them. He feared the reasons why she might be ignoring the fight. It was quite likely she would not lift a finger, or a sword, to stop Inuyasha.

"Kagome is the one with MY husband!" Ooooh… probably not too wise to remind Inuyasha of that… "She is living in MY air-conditioned house, eating MY ice cream, playing with MY daughter, and sleeping in MY bed!"

Inuyasha might not have leapt for her throat if she had not added the one little word that sent him over the edge. Sure, to him it was a word that might have described of female of the dog demons, and on occasion he had called Kagome that himself, but only when he forgot himself and thought of her as his. But Kagome had told him what the word meant where SHE had lived. And no one got away with insulting Kagome.

Zzzzing!

The arrow flew towards the advancing dog demon, but he was able to nimbly dodge it. Luckily Miroku had been expecting this and had already begun the necessary chanting to erect a strong barrier. The barrier didn't stop Inuyasha from trying to slice and claw it open, though. A drop of sweat trickled down the monk's face as he struggled to maintain the barrier with his force of will. Stealing a glance towards Sango he noticed that she was still calmly packing up the remainder of their supplies. Shippo was giving her a hand, though not with any enthusiasm.

Kikyo, who seemed determined to hinder all of Miroku's attempts to help her, notched another arrow and sent it sailing through the air towards Inuyasha with a trail of sparkling blue light, hitting the barrier.

The barrier fell.

So Miroku did the only thing he could think of. He stepped between the miko and the demon. Inuyasha was crouched, sword out and claws extended. Miroku thought that was overkill, since either weapon was enough. Kikyo had loaded another arrow to fire. The only thing standing between them was… well… him. Miroku swallowed hard and tried not to think about how fragile human bones and flesh were.

"Do not do this, Inuyasha."

"Get out of my way, monk."

"Kagome would not want this."

"Kagome is not here, now is she?" hissed Kikyo.

Miroku scowled, but did not take his eyes off of Inuyasha. "Please, Kikyo." He wasn't sure what he was asking of her exactly. Though most likely he was simply asking her to not stoke Inuyasha's temper any further.

He saw the moment when Inuyasha decided that he was going to go through him. For the first time that he could recall, Miroku was genuinely afraid of his friend. But before the moment of impact he felt a breeze. Opening his eyes (and he wondered when exactly he had closed his eyes) he saw his wife standing in front of him. She was armed and furious. And breathtakingly gorgeous! His hands twitched. It took all his self control (and a little reminder that he was between two very dangerous creatures trying to kill each other) too keep from touching her. It didn't stop him from looking though. He was in danger, not dead.

"You will not touch, Miroku," she warned Inuyasha, then turned to give Kikyo the same warning look.

Inuyasha didn't move, but his rumbling growl could be felt through the ground. Kikyo also froze, though she did not release her weapon.

"You have GOT to be kidding me, you pervert," Sango whispered over her shoulder at Miroku when his hands evidently weren't listening to his brain to stay put. "What in the world are you thinking?"

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on," he said with a touch of wonder in his voice.

She rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention back to the two enemies. Miroku saw her blush though. She really was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Especially with her weapon drawn and standing as if she was the mightiest warrior in the world. Ryoku gurgled at him happily from his place in the sling across his mother's back. Yes, he was most assuredly the luckiest man in the world.

"Leave my pack," growled Inuyasha.

Miroku jerked his head up. With relief he realized that the dog demon wasn't talking to him. He was talking to Kikyo. Talking was good. So was sheathing his sword. Maybe they could get out of this without any bloodshed after all.

Kikyo dropped her bow to her side and slid her arrow back into the quiver. "No."

"No?"

Kikyo smiled at Inuyasha, though it lacked any real warmth. "No. I'm not leaving."

Inuyasha blinked for a moment, then he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Yes you are," he argued. "Leave. Now."

"No."

"Yes! Leave or I'm gutting you right here and now!"

Miroku watched as Kikyo took a deep breath. She finally took her eyes off of Inuyasha and looked at Sango. A very angry Sango.

"I apologize for what I said about Kagome," Kikyo said to the slayer. "I was upset and was speaking without thinking. I let my anger control me, and I am sorry. Of course Kagome is a wonderful person and not at all a… well…" she looked warily at Inuyasha. "Not at all what I called her."

"She's still leaving," Inuyasha informed Sango. Just when did his wife become the leader in all this? Not that he was complaining. She did look awe inspiring while she crossed her arms in front of her chest like that and looking so stern. Eyebrow arching oh so slightly.

"No. I am not."

Oh yes. Right. The argument was still going on.

Inuyasha drew his sword again, and Sango stepped into his path. She was the bravest person Miroku knew. He reminded him to thank the gods at his good fortune. But first they needed to live through this.

"You can't leave her to fend for herself, Inuyasha," his beautiful wife said. "She is pregnant." Before the dog demon could inform her that yes he could leave her to fend for herself, Sango added, "And she might be our only chance to see Kagome again."

Inuyasha swore and sliced down the tree next to him. "You keep her away from me!" he yelled as he leapt into the trees.

"Thank you."

Sango gave Kikyo a look that chilled even Miroku's blood. "I want my friend back."

When the slayer returned to a nerve wracked fox kit, Miroku admired how graceful she could look even while stomping away before turning back to the battlefield where Kikyo still stood. She was ignoring the group and looking back out to the water.

"They hate me," she said with no emotion.

"Why do you wish to remain?"

Kikyo looked at him with eyes that were glistening with unshed tears. "Because what if Inuyasha is the key to me going back? He was there the day Kagome and I traded places. What if Kagome and I aren't enough for the change to occur? I need him. And," she said as she turned her attention back to the water, "He needs me to if he wants to see Kagome again."

Miroku stood and watched, careful to not get too close in case his lovely, yet tempermental, wife decided she was no longer going to play the part of peace maker. "You need to stop fighting with Inuyasha. He is dangerous. _Sango_ is dangerous. We need to work together, and this fighting is only making things more difficult."

"I know," she said as she lowered herself to the ground. "I just miss my family." She gave a little laugh. "The funny thing is that I'm not even angry with Inuyasha. Or even Kagome. Okay, maybe a little angry with Kagome, but not for anything that she is at fault with. It's just that it hurts, Miroku. It hurts so much to be so far from the people I love. And I feel helpless to get back to them. I want to fight, to lash out, but there is no enemy to fight."

The monk didn't exactly agree with her last thought. He was pretty sure that Inuyasha might just be her enemy these days. And maybe Sango. Possibly Shippo. Though it was a good sign that the kit had stopped growling at her whenever she was near.

"This fighting solves nothing."

She sighed.

Miroku felt an urge to comfort the distraught woman. But before he could lay an innocently comforting hand on his shoulder his wife was looming behind him clearing her throat.

"Let's go," she ordered.

Once again Miroku marveled at how stunning she looked when she was about to kick some serious a… oh… it was _him_ about to receive the kicking... Okay, less stunning… more scary now. He took a hurried step backwards and held up his hands.

"I was only going to pat her shoulder to comfort her, my darling wife."

"Right."

"It is true! I love no other but you."

Sango glowered at him, then at Kikyo. "Uh huh. Let's get moving."

"Where are we going?" asked the miko as she stood up and dusted off her clothes.

The slayer threw a bag at Kikyo for her to carry, nearly knocking her off her feet and into the water. "We're going to go find Midoriko."

"Do you think she'll help us?" asked a small voice.

Miroku looked down and saw hopeful green eyes. He picked up the kit and put him on his shoulder. He followed Sango's lead as they began their journey, knowing that Inuyasha was likely watching them from somewhere up in the trees.

"She will." His voice was laced with steel as he made the promise.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews! Thankfully the review and story alerts seem to back and operational. Yay!

Special thanks to Magawa for her concern over my well-being. Luckily there were no wild animal attacks, torch sporkers, no weddings to corpses (ewwwww), no Great Pumpkin (disclaimer: I don't own The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown), and no Santa kidnappers (disclaimer: I don't own Santa either).

And of course no Johnny Depp. Would there be another chapter if there was?

Sigh...


	13. Wake Up Kagome

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but the Alternate Universe this story takes place in (as well as the story) belongs to me.

Chapter Thirteen: Wake Up Kagome

May 8

"Wake up, Kagome."

But she didn't want to wake up. All she wanted was to be left alone so she could sleep. At least in her dreams she was able visit her friends. She could be with Inuyasha again. Reality was overrated. Who needed it?

"Wake up, Kagome."

How long had it been since she saw Inuyasha? How long since she heard his voice? How long had she been trapped in this world? Over two weeks now? Two weeks and not a single glimmer in the mirror. The only thing in the mirror was her own stupid reflection. Was the magic gone forever?

"Wake UP, Kagome!"

She squeezed her eyes closed harder, trying desperately to hold on to the dream she was having only moments ago before the world cruelly began to intrude. She had been walking with her friends, holding Inuyasha's hand and carrying Shippo. Everyone was smiling and happy. It was a simple dream, just one of the many moments she probably didn't enjoy enough when she had the chance.

"Wake up, right now, Kagome."

She burrowed deeper into the covers, needing their warmth and security to keep the cold world at bay. Wrapping the blankets tighter around her body she tried to create her own little cocoon.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhh!" Kagome screamed as she jumped straight up into the air, her voice breaking from lack of use.

Kaede looked unrepentant as she lowered the glass pitcher that held ice water only moments before.

"You… you… you…"

Kagome struggled to find the words (without using words the kid shouldn't hear, which kind of took up all the words running through her head at the moment) to express just how dead she was going to kill her. For a moment she understood why Inuyasha was always so perturbed with Shippo.

The thought of her friends lowered her anger a couple of notches and she relaxed her fighting stance. Though it likely lost some of it's drama as she was standing in the middle of a rumpled bed in a soaked nightshirt with a cute little bunny on the front, (regardless of the rude saying coming out of it's mouth) with only one sock on. Two socks on might have made her seem a little more intimidating.

"You need a shower," the young girl told her as she turned and left the room.

"Why that rotten little brat!"

"And shave your legs!" Kaede called as she walked down the hall.

Grumbling about monsters posing as children, Kagome walked across the bedroom and promptly ran into the edge of the couch. A few curse words later she gave it a kick. Which, naturally, led to her hopping around on one foot, holding her wounded toes and chanting "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" There had been a lot of discussion about who slept in the bedroom and who slept on the couch in the living room. The debate had been rather heated, since neither one of them wanted to be far from the mirror for an entire night. Just in case. It was her mother who came up with the solution of moving the couch into the bedroom.

Never in her wildest imaginations did she ever think that Hojo would be her roommate. She just wished that he was a slob or bad mannered so that she had something to complain about. Limping to the bathroom she gave the sleeping man a glare. Her complaint was that he wasn't Inuyasha.

The woman staring back at Kagome from the mirror was unrecognizable. For a moment her heart stopped. She almost screamed for Hojo to let him know the mirror was working… though apparently working wrong since it wasn't Kikyo staring back at her. Then she realized that the haggard looking woman with the swollen eyes and bizarre ratty looking hair was herself.

Yuck.

Despair had been pretty rough on her personal hygiene. She started the bathwater and added some bubble bath AND bath salts. Then she made sure that Hojo was awake enough to be on mirror duty as she grabbed a clean set of Kikyo's clothes.

"We need to talk about that child of yours," she grumbled as she stumbled back towards the bathroom, snarling to herself as Hojo laughed. "I think she's some sort of devil spawn or something."

"Says the woman in love with a demon," he chuckled.

"Demon, not devil. Totally different. Inuyasha isn't evil."

"Kaede is precocious."

Kagome snorted, "Is that a fancy word for evil?"

"Go take your bath," Hojo said as he lobbed a pillow her direction.

The bath actually felt very nice. She allowed herself to soak until the water got chilly, then she let it out and filled it back up with more steaming water and bubbles. When the second bath began to cool she began scrubbing her skin and her hair, and doing as Kaede suggested, she also shaved her legs. Then she let out the water and rinsed off with a nice cool, but short, shower. When she was finished her skin was tingling, and pink from the vigorous scrubbing. This time when she looked in the mirror she could recognize herself.

Opening the bathroom door she let out a screech.

"AAAAAaaaaack!"

Kaede was waiting patiently for her, sitting in front of the door. Was it poor manners to tell your host that his daughter kind of creeped you out sometimes? Wait... that probably wasn't worse than insinuating that his daughter was evil incarnate...

"You need a haircut," Kaede said.

Kagome took a deep breath and tried to keep from saying something she would likely regret. She tried to smile, but gave it up when each time it felt more like she was a predator baring her teeth.

"You do too, Daddy."

Hojo made some sort of non-committal noise and took his turn in the bathroom. Kagome wished he would hurry. His daughter kept standing there and staring at her.

"I like you," the girl said after a few minutes of scrutiny.

"You do?"

Kaede smiled. "But I like my mommy better." The girl cocked her head to one side and studied Kagome some more. "Her hair is nicer. And she smells nicer too. And she's always nice to me and Daddy. She never yells at Daddy."

"That's… uh… nice…"

"But I like you anyhow," she said as she pat Kagome's knee.

How the heck long does it take for a man to shower? She was about to kick down the door when he finally came out of the bathroom. He politely ignored her mutterings of "Took ya long enough". Kagome began wondering just when she started sounding like a grumpy Inuyasha.

The bath had felt good, but Kagome refused to budge from the room when Kaede insisted on shopping and haircuts. She had a big day planned of staring into the mirror planned. The kid even had to nerve to break out the big guns and called Grandma.

"Tattletale," Kagome complained when her mother showed up at the door.

"It would be good for you to get out of the house, Kagome," her mother tried to reason as she came inside. "You too, Hojo. You both need a little time away."

"And haircuts!"

Her traitorous mother nodded in agreement with the evil child. "Yes, and haircuts would be very nice."

She pressed a credit card into Kagome's hand and told her and Hojo to go to the salon for haircuts and to shop for some new clothes. Then she shoved them out the door.

Then locked it.

Hojo and Kagome looked at each other in amazement.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"She kicked us out!"

"Let's go shopping!"

Kagome glared down at the smiling child. This was all HER fault! What if Inuyasha was appearing in the mirror at this very minute? She would have missed her chance to see him for a lousy haircut? Clenching her fists in rage she tried to reign in her temper. But her fear of losing an opportunity to see Inuyasha, maybe even get to go back, was making her insane.

Just as she was about to explode, she felt Kaede's hand take hers. Before she could snatch her hand away and bop her on the head, the girl pressed something into her palm. Curiously Kagome looked at it. It was a compact.

"It doesn't matter what mirror you use," the girl said, "Just so long as it shows you your reflection and my mommy's reflection."

Kagome opened the compact and saw her face looking back at her. She moved to the side so Hojo could look as well. They looked at each other and nodded. Okay, as long as they had the compact (and every mirror in every store and glass on store fronts that cast reflections) she just might live through the outing.

Haircuts were first at Kaede's insistence.

When did she become the boss?

Kagome stared into the mirror as the woman behind her cut her hair. She didn't care if they cut it all off, she was just keeping an eye out for any glimmer. She ignored the attempts the stylist was trying to make at conversation and looked for any sign that the magic was going to work again. Kagome sighed and handed over the credit card when she was finished, paying for her cut and Hojo's as well. Frankly, she couldn't tell if the hair cut made any difference on him or not, she couldn't recall what he looked like before they went in.

Next Kaede dragged them to the store to look for new clothes. Kagome just grabbed something off the rack and went to the line to pay for it. But before she reached the cashier Kaede had taken the shirt from her and was pulling her to the dressing rooms. A defeated looking Hojo stepped out of the dressing room. Kagome couldn't tell if it was new or not. She was a little embarrassed by not noticing what he had been wearing.

Kaede pushed her into a dressing room and handed her a dress. Feeling a little defeated herself, Kagome took the dress and changed. It was a pretty enough dress, pale periwinkle blue with a delicate pattern of slightly darker blue flowers weaved in. Once she would have found joy trying on a beautiful dress, but the clean and fashionable clothes just reminded her that she wasn't home. With her new haircut and her new dress, she didn't feel like she even looked like herself anymore. She sure didn't feel like herself. It was depressing.

"You need to hurry!"

Hurry? Wasn't it Kaede who insisted they go on this stupid venture in the first place? But she hurried anyhow. No matter how unnerved she was around the child, that cry of distress spoke to her instincts. She began to pull the dress over her head.

"Leave it on."

Kagome's mouth dropped open as she stared at the door of her dressing room. How the heck did she know that she was taking it off? The girl must have the hearing of a dog demon or something! She left it on. When she went to check out, Kaede even insisted that the store clerks cut off the tags for her and Hojo.

"We need to hurry or we'll be late!"

Hojo looked just as confused at the little girl's behavior, but they both followed. Her father only began to worry when Kaede turned down the opportunity for ice cream.

"It will just make her feel bad," she said as she pulled them along.

Once they reached the house, Kaede bolted inside and to her room. Curious about the odd behavior, Kagome and Hojo followed. She was already in a pink party dress by the time they got to her doorway.

"It's almost time!"

Hojo stopped her as she tried to run past him, but she struggled free and ran to the bedroom he was sharing with Kagome, calling for them to hurry. They found her sitting in front of the mirror with a smile on her face as if posing for a picture. Hojo reached down and zipped up the back of the dress. Kagome was about to ask what was wrong with Kaede when she saw the glimmer in the mirror.

"Mommy!"

Kagome found herself running across the room to touch the mirror as Kikyo's surprised face looked back at them. Hojo cried out when he saw his wife and they began babbling at each other. Kagome barely heard them as she searched for a silver pair of dog ears. She gave a cry of her own when they appeared after a moment.

"Kagome…"

"Oh, Inuyasha…"

Her lips quirked into a smile as the images rippled. Inuyasha was trying to reach her through the water. His digging at the water became more frantic as he called her name, demanding she come back. She pressed her hand against the glass and he stopped clawing the water. He put his hand over the reflection of hers. They stayed like that, just staring at each other as Kaede, Kikyo, and Hojo talked as fast as they could about everything they could think of. Mostly they talked about how much they loved and missed each other. But all Kagome could do was soak in the sight of her dog demon.

"Kagome… Kagome… I…" The images began to shimmer. "No!" he yelled, "I need more time! Not yet! Kagome…. I…"

Kagome burst into tears as she stared at her own reflection.

"No..." she sobbed, "No... there wasn't enough time..."

She wasn't the only one in tears. In fact, the only one with dry eyes was Kaede. She was looking at them with sympathy. After she finished kicking off her dress shoes and pulled off her ruffled socks, she stood up and faced the adults.

"Don't worry," she said as she touched the five fingertips of her left hand, "We will see them again soon."

"W… we will?" asked Kagome in a shaky voice as she wiped her eyes.

Kaede nodded.

"How do you know?"

Kaede shrugged.

"Will I get to go back?"

Kaede looked back at her with eyes as old as time. "No one should ever know their own future. Dreams and wishes don't just happen, Kagome. You must look for them and work hard for them if you want them to come to pass."

This time it was Hojo's turn to shrug, responding to Kagome's unspoken question regarding his young daughter.

"Can we go get some ice cream now?"

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Notes:

Thanks for your reviews! I'm very grateful to the people who have left such wonderful words for me.

The scene where Inuyasha was trying to drown Kikyo last chapter was written for my own amusement, since that's how Inuyasha tried to send Kagome back in the first story, _Mirror Images._

Please keep in mind when reading this story that this story is done in an alternate universe. Mistress Storm Crow's review pretty much summed up how I was envisioned Kikyo's character (Thanks!). Kikyo was never killed and resurrected. Also, she has been living the last several years with the comforts of Kagome's modern time, has fallen in love, married, and had a child. These things are bound to change up a person's personality.


	14. Breaking the News

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but the Alternate Universe this story takes place in (as well as the story) belongs to me. I guess little Kaede does too. Ha! So there, I DO own something!

Chapter Fourteen: Breaking the News

May 13

"It's time!"

Hojo jumped out of the shower, pausing only long enough to throw on a robe before bolting from the bathroom when Kaede yelled. He skidded to a halt and ran back to check his reflection. Running his hands through his hair he realized there just wasn't time to look respectable enough. He ran back into the bedroom, and right into Kagome, who had been racing through the bedroom door with a piece of toast still sticking out of her mouth. He mumbled a quick apology after he hit the floor.

Laughter.

Her laughter.

Hojo looked into the mirror to see Kikyo looking at him sprawled on the floor and laughing merrily. He couldn't help but smile. It wasn't the most dignified entrance, but at least it made her laugh.

It was always a joy to hear her laugh. It made her eyes twinkle and her face light up. For the first year he knew her she would look surprised every time a laugh escaped, almost as if she had never heard a sound like that before. At least not coming from herself. Then again, there was not a lot for her to laugh about where she had lived before she came to him. Being able to make her laugh always made him feel like life was perfect.

But it wasn't perfect.

Not anymore.

Not with her sitting on the bank of some river where he had to watch fish swim across the face of his wife. Not with her sitting beside another man (demon, same thing practically).

Though at the moment the dog demon looked as if he would gladly take off his head. Hojo looked down and saw that his legs were still on top of Kagome, who had been knocked face down on the ground from the fall. Then he noticed what the dog demon was REALLY snarling about as he screamed at Kagome to keep her eyes closed. The robe wasn't exactly the most modest of attire.

Hojo made another apology and untangled himself from his new room mate. He would have changed clothes, but he couldn't afford to waste a moment of his time with his wife. Inuyasha would just have to keep growling and snarling.

Placing his hand on the mirror he gazed at his wife.

"Kikyo…"

She wiped a tear from her eye as she regained control of her laughter.

"Hojo… I missed you."

Kagome pushed at him a bit as she made room for herself by the mirror. It seemed odd that they would never say what they really wanted to say. The last time they saw each other in the mirror they simply stared. Hojo briefly wondered if this time they would ever speak of their hearts. One thing was for certain, Kikyo would never be left wondering how HE felt.

"I love you," he told his wife. "With all my heart I love you."

"That kid knew it was going to be five days!" exclaimed the dog demon, interrupting what was going to be a reciprocal declaration of love by Kikyo.

"I know!" Kagome laughed, "Weird, huh?"

"My child is NOT weird," snapped Kikyo, "She's gifted." She turned her attention to Kaede. "Hi baby, I miss you. I love you. Mommy is so proud of you."

Kaede beamed at her mother. "I drew a picture for you!" She held up the paper to the mirror, making Kikyo gasp.

"Let me see, sweetie," said Hojo as he touched the edge of the paper.

It was a crayon drawing of their family, sort of. Hojo and Kikyo were in the middle of the picture, Kaede and another child in front of them. Along the outside of the picture was Kagome, a creature he could only assume was the kit Kagome spoke of named Shippo, and Inuyasha.

"That's my sister," said Kaede proudly, pointing to the child beside her in the picture. "She can share my room, but she can't have my stuffed bunny. He's mine."

Hojo was impressed with his daughter's imagination. He was going to tell Kikyo that, but when he looked in the mirror she was looking at the drawing in shock. The dog demon was looking at it in horror.

"What?"

Kikyo covered her mouth for a moment, trying to hide her smile. Whenever she thought she was going to smile too big she always tried to cover it up. It was a shame. Her smile could light up a room. It never failed to make his heart speed up.

"Hojo… We're… I'm…" She blushed and looked down. Uncertain. Nervous?

"Kikyo… are you okay? Is every thing alright?" Suddenly HE was the one who was nervous. His mind was suddenly flooded with a million maladies that she could be falling victim from.

"Hojo… I need to tell you… I… I…"

"She's gonna have another brat."

Kikyo turned and punched Inuyasha in the eye. Not once had he ever seen his wife hit anyone before. It was kind of a turn on. Wait… she's what?

"What?" asked Kagome, who seemed to have paled considerably.

Pink cheeked, Kikyo turned her attention back to the mirror, to her husband. "I'm pregnant," she told him.

"Pregnant?"

She smiled gently. "Yes."

"I'm going to be a big sister," Kaede informed them.

Pregnant. His wife was pregnant.

"Are you well?" he asked anxiously. When she was pregnant with Kaede she had a rough time with the morning sickness. It broke something inside of him as he realized he couldn't be there to help her through it. He wasn't there to hold her hair back and rub her back. He wasn't there to get her a cold washcloth for her head or to get her some crackers to settle her stomach.

"A little morning sickness," she admitted.

"She throws up all the time," grumbled Inuyasha to Kagome. "All the time! And she's always in a bad mood about something."

Hojo ignored the dog demon as he began demanding that Kagome trade places with Kikyo and come back to him. "Are you getting enough to eat?" Was she getting enough vitamins? He wasn't there to make sure she had the right kinds of foods. He wasn't there to fetch her the things she craved. Sure nutrition was important, but so was making her happy. The midnight trips to the store to find pickles and peanut butter when she had been pregnant with Kaede had been sort of fun. He would return home and she would look at him as if he were some sort of hero, all for a simple trip to the store for her. He wasn't there to help her.

"Yes," she replied gently. "We eat meat that we catch and vegetables we find." They both ignored Inuyasha's comments that HE was the one to catch the food as he began poking at the water, most likely in hopes that he would be able to pierce the barrier that kept Kagome from him.

"Are you resting enough?"

She reached towards the rippling water, he placed his hand where hers hovered. He wasn't there to hold her. He wasn't there to touch her stomach. He wasn't there to lay his head on her lap and talk to their unborn child. He wasn't there to take pictures every week to track the progression of her growing belly!

"Can I see?" he asked hoarsely.

Kikyo pulled up at the hem of her shirt. Halfway up to her belly she frowned and glanced towards Inuyasha.

"Turn around," she told him.

His reply was a less than polite refusal involving words that made Hojo cover his young daughter's ears.

"Turn around, now!" she demanded. "I want to lift my shirt a bit."

His reply was, again, less than polite. This time it was accompanied by a declaration that he, in no way, wanted to see her "stupid" stomach, but he wasn't budging. For a moment Hojo wondered if she would slug him again. Instead she shrugged and began lifting her shirt for her husband.

"I'm not showing much," she frowned down at her stomach.

Hojo smiled at her as she turned so he could see from the side. "Not yet. Not for awhile yet." He traced his finger along the image of her belly. "You're beautiful."

She laughed. "Soon I'll be as big as a house."

He grinned. "And you'll still be beautiful."

His beautiful pregnant wife. Far out of his reach. Would he be able to live with the knowledge that somewhere… somewhen… his wife was having his baby and he wasn't able to be there? He had to get her back. He had to.

"I'll see you next month," suddenly sang out Kaede as she began to wave to her mother's wavering image.

"A month?" Inuyasha, Kagome, Kikyo, and Hojo spoke in unison.

Then just as suddenly as she had appeared, Kikyo was gone. And he was alone. Hojo dropped to his knees and hugged Kaede close to him. He held her tightly, unwilling to lose the feeling of the link between him and his wife.

"Kaede…will Mommy come home soon?" he asked his daughter, head bowed to rest on her small shoulder.

The little girl shook her head and pat his head. "Telling is cheating, Daddy. Besides," she looked up at Kagome gravely, "She has to find her own way."

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Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews! Hope people aren't too disappointed that Inuyasha and Kagome didn't play a bigger role in this chapter, but Hojo needed a chapter of his own.

Sorry it took so long to get this out. I've spent about a week in bed with a killer case of the flu. If there are any typos or bad grammar, I'm blaming it all on being sick.


	15. Old Friends

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but the Alternate Universe this story takes place in (as well as the story) belongs to me.

Chapter Fifteen: Old Friends

May 24

WHAM!

Sheepishly Kagome looked up. She hadn't meant to slam to book shut so hard, and now the librarian was looking like she was two seconds away from tossing her out on her ear. But it was just so frustrating! She couldn't find any information whatsoever that would be even remotely helpful in returning her back to where she belonged. She even broke out the books on spells and witchcraft.

NOTHING!

Not a single helpful tidbit. You'd think at least ONE author would have written a book on inter-dimensional transportation or teleportation that wasn't FICTION. And even those books she had gone through and taken notes on. But still there was nothing.

Stealing a glance at the compact Kaede had given her, Kagome sighed. According to the kid, there was still a loooong time to wait until Inuyasha and Kikyo showed back up in the mirror, but she couldn't stop herself from checking every five minutes or so. What was with her anyhow? How did she just know? Was she a reincarnation of Midoriko? Was it because she was half Hojo's child (from this world) and half Kikyo's child (from the other world)? Was it because Kikyo was a miko, so she had powers too? Was she some sort of alien? A mutant?

Could she pick Lottery numbers?

"Kagome?"

Her head jerked up as she was pulled away from her thoughts. The two women looked familiar. Eri? Yuka?

"Oh!" Yuka exclaimed. "I'm so sorry. I've made a mistake. I thought you were a friend of ours. Please pardon our intrusion."

They didn't recognize her?

Eri cocked her head to one side. "You sure look a lot like her though. Are you related to Kagome Higurashi?"

"Um…. Kinda…" Taking one last glance at the small mirror in the compact, Kagome gave her attention to two of her old school friends. Boy, had they changed! Eri dyed her hair some sort of pinkish color with little spikes. Yuka's hair was an interesting shade of purple, but only at the tips. And they didn't recognize HER? "I'm her cousin… Kikyo."

Oh the irony of it all. Kikyo had to pose as Kagome when she arrived, now Kagome was posing as Kikyo. She would have laughed if it didn't seem so pathetic.

Eri touched her cotton candy colored hair. "It was for our sorority," she explained. "A pledge thing. But I kind of like it, I may keep it even after the week is over." It was only then that Kagome noticed that they were both wearing matching college sweaters.

"I like it, Eri." And she did. It was unusual, but interesting.

Eri narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "How did you know my name?"

Think quick! "Kikyo and I wrote each other a lot growing up, and she told me about you guys. Even sent pictures."

Good thinking!

"Funny," she said, voice still laced with suspicion, "She never mentioned you."

"Heh." She glanced at the mirror again. "Funny story actually…"

Yuka sat down in front of her as Eri crossed her arms. "We have time."

Kagome took a breath. "Um… well, you see…" Plausible… make something up that's plausible. "Kikyo and I look a lot alike," she started, dredging up her storytelling abilities from her nights getting Shippo to bed without a fuss, "And people used to compare us to each other all the time. Kind of like people do with sisters."

Yuka nodded.

"Well, anyhow… our parents thought we should do everything alike since we're about the same age. They would often mix up our names or combine them. And uh… it felt too much like we were being forced to live each others lives instead of our own. So even though we are close to each other, we've always tried to make sure our lives don't touch each other if we can help it. That way Kagome is Kagome and Kikyo is Kikyo."

She crossed her fingers, hoping that they would buy it.

From the sympathetic looks she got, she knew that they did.

"I understand," said Yuka. "My two younger brothers are twins, and our parents are always trying to get them to be exactly alike. So they try to be as different as can be, they won't even acknowledge each other in school."

"Why are you visiting now?" demanded Eri. "Hojo said Kikyo went to go visit family,"

"I'm helping out with Kaede while she's gone."

"Her mother usually does that."

Was Eri always so argumentative? "Yes, I know. But Mama has a lot planned this week so I thought I'd come help out." She gestured to the books she had been going through. "Plus it is also a sort of research trip for me."

"Mama?"

"Granmama," corrected Kagome, praying her cheeks hadn't turned red.

"So you're staying with Hojo?"

"Uh… yeah…"

Eri leaned in closely. "Hojo _loves_ Kagome."

"What?"

"Eri! Be nice!" Yuka scolded, looking mortified at the suggestion her friend just made.

"They've been in love since grade school and have always been devoted to one another. Just remember that." She turned to walk away. "I'll call and check up on you guys. You know, at any time…"

Yuka stood up and clapped her hand in front of her and made a small bow. "Please forgive Eri. The dye must've gone and fried her brains." She gave Kagome a smile. "If you feel in the mood, call me up and I'll take you on a tour of our fine city. Here, I'll leave you my number." She scribbled down her telephone number on the front page of Kagome's notes. "It was very nice meeting you, Kikyo."

Kagome waved at their retreating backs. _In love since grade school? Always been devoted to one another? _Was she in yet ANOTHER alternate universe?

So, Yuka and Eri were both in college. Kagome checked the mirror once more as she gathered up her notes and stacked the books, disappointed (but not surprised) that there wasn't the glimmer that announced that magic was present. She wondered if she would be in college if she hadn't gone through the mirror. What would she have majored in? What kind of job would she be dreaming of? Try as she might, Kagome couldn't think of a single thing. It just wasn't possible to imagine her life taking any other route than the one that led her to Inuyasha. She didn't belong anywhere else but by his side.

There was no other alternative. There HAD to be a way. Her life was on the other side of that mirror, and she was determined to have it back!

"Ssshhhh!"

Blushing, Kagome sat back down, unaware that she had jumped up and thrust her fist into the air. She gave the librarian another apologetic smile and decided it was about time to slink out of the library.

Okay, so she was determined to find her way back. But researching at the library just wasn't the way to go. There was nothing left there that she hadn't already gone through. Hojo was still going through Grandpa's scrolls, but so far there wasn't anything helpful.

"Kikyo!"

Poor Hojo. He had laughed when he told her how he had gone through the scrolls with Kikyo. But his eyes were so sad. So devastated. He told her how he and Kikyo had researched together to find a way to get her back, though he admitted at the time it had been a half-hearted effort. Kagome had offered to go through them instead, but he insisted he wanted to.

"KIKYO!"

So what were her other options? Seek out fortune tellers? Hold Kaede's favorite stuffed bunny (Boppy? Poppy? Hoppy?) hostage until she stopped talking in riddles and coughed up some information?

"AAAh!" Kagome screamed. When she landed, after an impressive 180 spin in mid air, she came face to face with Eri and Yuka.

Yuka moved her hand back to her side. "I'm sorry, but we were calling you… so I just touched your sleeve…"

Kagome put her hand to her chest to try and calm her rapid heartbeat. "No… no… You're fine. I'm fine. Heart… not burst… still working." She took a couple of deep breaths before she was able to smile at her old friends.

"Eri wanted to take you out for a drink to apologize for her rude behavior." Yuka nudged Eri, who grunted.

"Oh, no apology needed," she waved off the offer as she reminded herself that she needed to start paying more attention when she was outside of the house. It was surprisingly difficult to remember that her name was supposed to be Kikyo. "You were just looking out for a friend. Kagome is lucky to have such good friends."

"If she doesn't want to hang with us, don't make her," Eri told her sorority sister.

Kagome ground her teeth, trying to keep a smile on her face. Was Eri being exceptionally difficult or was it just her imagination? Or was it her? Did she just not know how to respond to her friends anymore? "How about a burger instead?"

Reluctantly she followed her friends to the WacDonalds. She listened to them sing Kagome's praises, making up a lot of stuff as they went along. It was interesting that neither one of them seemed to notice when she and Kikyo switched places. What did that say about their observation skills? Or their friendship? Was their friendship really that shallow to begin with? Or was Kikyo really that good at pretending to be her? Should she be offended that she was so easily replaced?

Maybe that was why she had seemed so shocked when Kikyo announced her pregnancy to Hojo. Or rather, when Inuyasha announced it. She felt like she was in danger of being replaced. Again. Would it ever be her sitting beside Inuyasha with his baby inside her? She had been struck with such sadness. And jealousy. The feelings had hit her like a fist in the stomach.

She was going to find a way back if it killed her (though hopefully it wouldn't come to that) and force that dog demon to talk about their relationship! It might require subduing him with a spell of some sort, but she'd find a way. No more dawdling or second guessing or being insecure. They were going to have a baby of their own!

And how the heck had she forgotten the other woman was pregnant! Hoo boy, what a way to find out you're going to have another baby. Poor Hojo.

Keeping up appearances of participating in a conversation really wasn't a problem. The two girls talked while she munched on her food and let her imagination run wild with images of dog eared children. And as long as she smiled and nodded occasionally, no one was the wiser.

She kinda missed the cooked over a campfire taste. She wondered if she would be able to take back some marshmallows when she went back. And a toothbrush. And a hairbrush. And some conditioner. Maybe she should just get a backpack and fill it full of the essentials. It would have to be a pretty big one if it was going to fit all of her stuff that she wanted to take.

Uh oh… they were looking at her. Maybe someone asked her a question. What were they talking about? Think! Think!!

"MMmnnghh," she mumbled as she slurped up her chocolate shake.

"See, I told you she would agree with me," laughed Yuka as she pointed at Eri with a fry. "You do NOT have to wear hose with sandals with heels. Bare legs are fine."

It took all of her will power not to roll her eyes. They pulled her away from her daydreams to ask about hosiery? Who cared? Wear what you like. Wear what's comfortable. Wear something that you can move easily in, just in case you need to run or do some fighting.

"So," Yuka smiled, "You want to come with us to a party tomorrow night? There will be lots of hot guys there."

Kagome shook her head. A party with these people just might drive her to the point of actually sticking a fork in her ear rather than just thinking about it. "Can't. Sorry. My turn to watch Kaede tomorrow."

"But… hot guys…"

Kagome shook her head again, and this time she laughed at Yuka's bewildered expression as she turned down the opportunity to ogle college men.

"Are you seeing someone already?" asked Yuka.

She blushed. "Well… yes… sorta."

This perked Eri up. Obviously if Kagome… errr… Kikyo… had a guy already then she wouldn't be trying to steal her cousin's husband. Kagome tried to be amused rather than insulted. It wasn't easy.

"What's he like?" Eri asked.

"He's tall and handsome, and very strong. Nice… teeth." She smirked as she swallowed the word 'fangs'. "He does have kind of a bad temper sometimes, though. Can get kind of jealous sometimes, too. But he's a great protector and provider! And an awesome fighter! He's sweet in his own… unique way. Plus he has the cutest ears in the world." She sighed at this point.

"Ears?" asked Yuka.

"So… he's a violent, bad tempered, jealous, guy? Maybe you should start thinking about dating other people. You know, nice guys." Eri suggested, already beginning to go into matchmaking mode.

"Inuyasha IS a nice guy." Did she miss all those good qualities on purpose?

Eri scoffed. "I'm majoring in Psychology, Kikyo. Men like that are nothing but trouble for a girl."

Kagome's hands clenched as she struggled to not reach across the table and begin strangling her friend. Declaring herself a psychology major hardly made the girl a psychologist. And one or two psych classes did not make her an expert. She tried reminding herself that Eri was just trying to help, and that starting a fight would just make things more difficult on the real Kikyo when she returned.

"I know you mean well," she said through gritted teeth, "But I love Inuyasha. He has faults, but I do too."

The conversation quickly turned to other important matters… the best way to make hair spiky. Kagome tried, really she did, to follow the conversation this time. But after the third hair gel experiment, she let her mind wander. It was lonely being with Eri and Yuka. She didn't belong with them, or even understand them anymore. It just made her miss the others more. She wondered how Sango and Miroku were doing, and baby Ryoku. She couldn't bear the thought of missing his first word or his first step. How was Shippo doing? Was he sleeping well without his bedtime story or lullaby? What about Inuyasha? Was he missing her as much as she was missing him? Would she fit back in with them when she got back after being gone so long? Would she feel as out of place there as she felt now? Would she even remember how to shoot an arrow?

"Is there an archery range around here?"

"Archery?"

Kagome hadn't realized she had spoken out loud until Yuka responded to the question. She really needed to watch herself. Voicing all of her musings could cause some serious problems if the wrong people overheard her. At least this time it might have actually worked in her favor.

"Yes. I'm on an… uh… archery team. Yes. An archery team. And I need to keep practicing so I don't get rusty when I go back home."

Neither girl knew. So Kagome quickly finished her lunch, thanked them for the burger and said goodbye. Now that she had a plan in mind, it was too hard to sit still. She would find an archery range and start practicing. Surely one of the sports equipment stores would know where one was. It beat sitting around and just waiting. Opening the door, Kagome stepped outside.

Well, she was going to step outside, but stopped about halfway.

Kaede was waiting for her.

"Er… Kaede… what are you doing here? Where's Hojo? Where's Mama?" Did the kid teleport over? Was she sending a psychic hologram image directly to her brain? Before she could work up a very good panic, she saw Souta turn the corner.

"Geez, Kaede! I thought you disappeared! You know you're supposed to wait." He looked up and smiled at Kagome. "Oh hey, sis."

Now that her heart began beating again, Kagome finished leaving the burger joint and joined her brother and… just what was Kaede to her? Some sort of step-niece maybe?

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

Souta shrugged. "Kaede said she wanted to see the new pet store. You know, the one by the archery range."

Kaede looked up at her and smiled.

…

…..

…….

Dang… that girl was just creepy.

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Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews! Sorry for the confusion last chapter about Kagome's reaction to Kikyo's pregnancy. I hope things are clearer now.

I know these two chapters came out sort of close together. It's an anomaly, don't get used to it. I had forgotten that I hadn't posted chapter 14 while I was working on 15.


	16. Hate

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but the Alternate Universe this story takes place in (as well as the story… and young Kaede… and Ryoku…) belongs to me.

Chapter Sixteen: Hate

June 5

I hate Kikyo.

I'm glad I made her cry.

If it wasn't for HER then Kagome would never have been taken away from me. It's all Kikyo's fault she's gone! Kagome was mine! MINE! And now I'll never see her again and it is ALL KIKYO'S FAULT!

The others all try to pretend we're on some stupid quest to get her back… but I know the truth. There's no getting Kagome back. Never. Midoriko sent Kagome back to her own time, like she was supposed to be and she's never coming back. She was never supposed to be with us to begin with. I try to be grateful for the time I had with her, but all it does is make me angry that I don't have her anymore.

Why give her to me if they are just going to take her away?

Why?

It's just not fair!

Sango tells me that everything will be okay. Miroku says to have faith. Easy for THEM to say! They have their own little family now that they have the baby. Even Kikyo didn't lose her ENTIRE family, she still has that baby inside her. So she should be grateful! But what about MY family? What about Kagome? Sango and Miroku are sad because they lost a friend, Kikyo lost a husband and just one measly little kid. But I lost more than all of them, I lost my entire family.

And it is Kikyo's fault!

I… I just wish she didn't look so much like Kagome…

Especially when she sobs like that….

Does Kagome cry like this for me? Does she miss me as much as I miss her? Does she think of my every night? Does she wish on all the stars that we'll be together again, like I do? Or is she happy because she has her family back?

I miss her.

I miss her smile. Her laugh. The way she smells. The way she sings. The way she tells stories. The way she holds me. I miss everything about her.

I miss being a part of her family. It's just not the same without her.

"Shippo… apologize to Kikyo," Sango tells me sternly.

I look at the miko, still holding her stomach and crying. Sometimes she looks a lot like Kagome. Sometimes I think of what it would be like if Kagome was the one here with a baby in her belly, carrying my very own little brother (or even a _sister_). Sometimes when I first wake up and see Kikyo I get confused, and for a few moments between being asleep and being awake, I think that Kagome is with me again. And I hate Kikyo for that too. Because as soon as I'm all the way awake again it feels like I just lost Kagome all over again.

And it hurts.

"No!" I yell. "She IS fat and ugly! And I DO hope she drops her baby on its head!"

And then I run. Sango has a mean temper, especially where babies are concerned. But I feel mean too!

And scared.

And alone.

And I want Kagome back!

So I run. And I run. And I scream at Kikyo as I run. And I scream at Midoriko. And I scream at all the gods who would be so cruel as to take away my Kagome from me.

"Oof!"

I rub my nose. Where did that tree come from? Oh wait… it's just Inuyasha. So I scream at him too. For not being there to protect Kagome, to keep her from being taken from us. And he lets me. He lets me kick him and punch him and scratch him and bite him and scream at him until I'm hoarse.

Too exhausted to do anything but just let the tears leak out of my head I wait for him to say something. Instead he sits beside me.

"I miss her too," he said.

I wipe my eyes and sit up, a little surprised that I had actually curled up into a ball. Inuyasha would tell me the truth, the others would just say what they think will make me shut up.

"Will we ever get her back?"

For a moment he doesn't answer, and I'm a bit terrified that his answer was going to be 'no'. I wasn't too sure I could take a 'no'.

"I'll tear apart both worlds if I have to, to get her back," he promised me softly, which is even more scary than when he yells. "And anything or anyone who gets in my way. Yeah, we'll get her back, Shippo."

I nod. That's a good enough answer for me.

"Can we sleep here tonight?"

I don't want to go back to camp. I don't want to hear Kikyo crying. I don't want to see Sango and Miroku looking disapproving at me, because I'm not going to apologize to Kikyo. Not tonight. I don't want to see Ryoku all giggly and happy with his family or Kirara looking content to be with her human family. I can't bear looking at any of them. I just want to stay here and be miserable.

"Sure, brat."

So we sat there all night. Being miserable and alone… together.

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Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews!

For those of you who wondered what was going on with everyone on the other side of the mirror, this chapter and next talk about it.

Yes, this chapter is short. That is completely intentional. But don't worry, next chapter will be longer.


	17. An Uncertain Future

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but the Alternate Universe this story takes place in (as well as the story… and young Kaede… and Ryoku…) belongs to me.

Chapter Seventeen: An Uncertain Future

June 8

Forty-seven days.

Forty-seven miserable days.

Would they kill each other before they reached an even fifty?

Miroku was beginning to seriously consider taking his wife and son and starting a journey of their own. Surely they could find a nice town to settle in. Perhaps one with plenty of demons for Sango to battle so she would not get bored. There might also be children for Ryoku to play with. Sango could train a whole battalion of demon slayers. He would watch over all of their children, as soon as he could convince his wife that Ryoku needed a brother or sister. Though last time he brought it up she threatened to cut off vital parts of his anatomy. He could wait a few months to bring it up again.

Staring morosely at the campfire he sighed. He never would have thought that he would one day contemplate breaking up their odd little family. Before he joined the group, the family, he really had no place to belong. But now with Kagome gone, the family was too broken to continue.

Inuyasha was surly all the time. Always angry. Always ready to fight, friend or foe, it didn't matter. He split his time between frantically searching for water for any trace of his lost miko and leading them into the toughest of battles. He was relentless. And he did not let them stay in one place for more than a few minutes. Even at night he stopped well after dark and started the group moving well before light. They did not know what they were pursuing, but they did so very little rest.

Shippo had become the brat that Inuyasha always called him. In addition to crying and whining about missing Kagome (which can get very old after some time), he has also become verbally abusive to Kikyo. He also has been very short tempered with Sango and himself as well. He was even looking at innocent Ryoku with contempt!

Worse of all, Sango has been in a very bad mood. Not only has she been forced to deal with the loss of her best friend and sister, but she has also taken on the mothering duties of the young fox kit. At least, she tried. Shippo would not let her hold him or tell him stories. He even refused to be comforted by her. It was frustrating and disheartening.

Even Kirara has become moody. In the past she had been Shippo's playmate, but now he refused to play and the fire cat was becoming lonely.

Kikyo, of course, missed her own family. In addition to feeling homesick, she was also forced to face the facts that she may be delivering this baby without her husband. She often looks at her belly, which had yet to grow regardless of what Shippo claims (loudly and far too often for Miroku's peace of mind), and thinks about her other child. The one on the other side of the mirror.

Everyone was always mad at one another. They blamed each other for what has happened. Miroku was concerned that his marriage would soon suffer from the constant bickering of their companions and stress they were all under. And as much as he cared for Inuyasha and Shippo, he would not let them continue to distress his wife and child.

The hormones did not help matters.

Not one little bit.

It was like living with an explosive just waiting to go off.

Kagome had been a kind enough young woman. Very pretty. A little tempermental and unconventional for a miko though. He cared a great deal for the girl, but he had not realized just how important she was to them.

"You should be sleeping, Miroku."

He turned to watch his beautiful, though sleepy, wife sit beside him. They looked back to check on their son who was curled up snugly with Kirara wrapped around him protectively. Then they looked at each other.

"I needed some time to sit and think."

Sango smothered a yawn as she leaned her head against his shoulder. It was unusual for her to show such a display of affection. But the others were asleep. Well, Kikyo and Ryoku were. Inuyasha and Shippo had taken off to go sleep in the woods again. He should be grateful that they seemed to finally begin to bond, but he feared that they were drawing further and further away from the group.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

He sighed. He hated to bring up the topic, but he knew that he should. Putting it off would do no good.

"I was thinking of finding a village to settle down."

"Oh?"

"Just you, me, Ryoku."

"Mew!"

"And Kirara."

"Oh."

He had expected a fight, not one simple syllable. He leaned against her, bringing her hand to his lips.

"I love you, Sango," he said. "But we can not continue on like this." He glanced back at his sleeping child. "And we can not continue to let Ryoku be exposed to it. It can not be healthy for him."

"Do you wish to cease our search for Kagome?" He felt her tense beside him.

Miroku shook his head. "Of course not," he assured her. "She is our cherished friend. We will continue to search. But perhaps it would be better if we searched on our own." He kissed her on the top of her head and took comfort in her warmth. "Let us think about it. There is no need to decide tonight."

There was no warning when the demon attacked. It was as silent as a shadow. Miroku didn't even have enough time to erect a barrier before it was descending upon his child.

No!

Not his son!

Kirara exploded into her giant fire cat form, standing over Ryoku. Sango reached for the knives strapped to her leg. Bless the woman for being armed even when dressed for sleep. But the thrown knives missed their mark.

The shadowy demon... split. It went from being one demon... to two...

Miroku chanted quickly to protect his son behind a barrier, but the slippery demon continued to multiply. Now they were up against four. No... eight.

Sango grabbed her bone boomerang and threw it towards a group of three. They simply let the weapon go right through them, but without touching them.

"What ARE these things?" asked Miroku, not really expecting Sango to answer.

"Dead!"

Miroku turned to see Inuyasha leaping from the trees, his sword already slicing through the enemies. As he continued to keep the barrier around his son intact, he watched as Inuyasha paused to sniff the air. After a moment he smirked at one demon inparticular. Instead of running it through with the sword, the dog demon simply formed a fist and brought it down on the demon's head.

"Ow!" it cried.

Incredibly enough, the demons seemed to simply disappear. All but one. That one shrunk to about four feet tall with fluffy russet hair.

"It's a fox demon," Shippo announced proudly from the rock he was sitting on. Was he there the whole time or did he just show up after the action?

Inuyasha picked up the adult fox demon by the tail until he was face to face with it.

"What, are you an idiot?" the dog demon asked.

"I just wanted to see the brat." He squeaked as Inuyasha shook him until his eyes rattled in his skull.

"The what?"

"The baby! I meant the baby! I was just curious and wanted to see it."

"He was going to eat Ryoku," Shippo informed the group as he glared at the intruder. "He was trying to distract everyone away from him so he could steal him."

Innocent eyes turned pleadingly at the group. "Don't be silly, kit. I was simply interested in the br... uh... babe."

Shippo shook his head. "If you were just interested you wouldn't have used your fox magic the way you did. You were using it to distract everyone away from the kid. And you wouldn't be getting the sleeping powder ready to throw at the baby, you know, the one that doubles as a tasty seasoning."

The fox demon looked at the kit with hatred in his eyes. "You're one of us," he hissed, "We're practically family! You side with humans and..." he curled his lip at Inuyasha, "And a dog? Have you no pride? You betray your own?"

Inuyasha shook the fox again. "He ain't betrayed no one."

"They ARE my family," Shippo snarled back as he took a defensive stance in front of Ryoku alongside Kirara.

"If I catch you near him again I'll rip your arms off and beat you with them. Then I'll really start to get mean."

Sango looked at Miroku with a half smile as the adult fox flew over the trees. No. They would not be leaving. They were a family, all of them, and they would stick together no matter what. They just had to find a way to cope without Kagome, until they found a way to get her back. The future may be uncertain, but at least he could be certain that they would see it through together.

"Nice throw,"Shippo commented as they finally heard the sound of the other fox landing in the far distance.

"Keh."

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Author's Note:

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. This may be the most wonderful time of the year... but it is also the busiest. If I don't get the next chapter out before Christmas, I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday.

A few people commented about Kagome making a slip when talking to her friends. Since it was her first real day out as Kikyo, I would imagine that it would be impossible to expect her not to make a slip or two. I wonder if that is just going to make Eri more suspicious...


	18. Don't Mess With A Pregnant Miko

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Eighteen: Don't Mess with a Pregnant Miko

June 27

Alone.

She was alone.

Yes, she admitted that she was having herself a pity party. Even when she had traveled the countryside alone she never felt quite so alone. So she felt that she deserved the pity party and wasn't going to feel guilty about it.

Well… she did have the baby growing inside of her, but the gestating child not even the size of a baseball was hardly the ideal traveling companion. Thank the stars above that the morning sickness seemed to be fading, though the cravings for sweets had not. She would kill for a piece of double fudge sundae, though she would rather rip out her own spleen than ask anyone in the group for something.

No one here wanted her around.

She had accidentally eavesdropped on many conversations because people tend to forget she was around. And that was just the way she liked it. She would fake sleep if she had to in order to avoid conversations.

Miroku and Sango would sometimes whisper their fears about the future. Making plans for what they would do if Kagome never came back. Once, Miroku even briefly contemplated leaving the group with his wife and child. He thought about leaving Inuyasha and Shippo. But what about her? Didn't anyone care what happened to her?

No one wanted her around? Fine. She didn't want to be here either. She wanted to be with her own family in her own home instead of sleeping on a bed of dirt and rocks. And ug… all those insects!

But even her mattress of sticks and rocks and blood sucking insects couldn't wipe the smile of her face this morning.

Today was the day.

She glanced over at her sleeping companions. Reluctant companions, actually. It was difficult restraining herself to keep from waking them up. She wasn't sure how far they were from the water, or even at what time the magic would work. Dawn was still some time off, so the only thing she could do was wait.

Waiting worked for about two seconds.

Standing up she stretched. The fabric of her shirt moved upwards, but didn't fall back down when she lowered her arms. She looked down to see her belly uncovered. She grit her teeth and tried not to swear. Her clothes were getting too uncomfortable to wear. Suddenly, without her permission, her eyes began to fill up with tears.

She was showing.

Placing her hand on her belly she whispered to the child that everything was going to be okay. She promised that there would be a happy ending.

She knew that Inuyasha was watching her, but she didn't care. She wondered if he always slept in trees. With as often as she rolled over in the middle of the night she didn't see how sleeping on a branch would even be possible. Either he never slept deeply, which would explain his overly cranky moods, or he had phenomenal balance. Then she wondered why she had never wondered before. Was she starting to get attached to these people?

She glanced up into the tree.

Was he watching to protect her or watching because he didn't trust her? She looked up saw his eyes narrowed and a frown on his face. It was definitely the trust thing.

There was nothing else to do, and she had to keep busy so she didn't go insane with anxiety, so Kikyo stirred the coals in the fire pit and began to set about seeing what she could make for breakfast.

"We sure could use some fish or some fresh meat," she said over her shoulder.

"Feh. So go hunting."

It had been awhile since she had to trap or catch anything for food. When she traveled before she had done so on a daily basis. But oh it was so nice to have food prepackaged. Better yet, pre-prepared. A nice greasy hamburger sure did sound good.

There wasn't time to set up a snare and wait for a meal to get caught. She didn't want to waste a single moment of the day when the time she got to spend seeing her family was so short. So they would just have to do with a cup of tea and fruit. After setting some water to boil, Kikyo scooped up a small bowl and went hunting for berries. She noticed that although Inuyasha kept an eye on her, he didn't leave the clearing.

As luck would have it, the local wildlife hadn't picked clean all the berries and she even chanced upon a fruit tree. By the time she got back to camp with the food, dawn had broken and the others began to rise.

About time!

She tried to be patient as they went through their morning duties. But it seemed like everyone was moving in slow motion. Didn't they know that today was the day?

"We need to find water," she told them as they wasted time dawdling over the berries. She never should have brought them. Maybe hunger might have gotten their feet to move a little quicker.

Miroku nodded towards the water bladder as he fed his son pieces of fruit. Kikyo took a deep breath and tried to not yell. Or scream obscenities. The desire to do so was growing by the moment.

"We need to go find some water," she began to explain again. "Now."

Miroku handed Ryoku to Sango and retrieved the water for her. Unable to control her raging emotions she began to yell after all.

"Water! I need water!"

"Be at ease, Lady Kikyo, we will find water soon enough. We brought ple…"

Kikyo grabbed the monk by the front of his robes and hissed as she shook him. "We have to hurry!"

"Aren't you gonna pull her off him?" She heard Inuyasha ask Sango curiously.

Sango looked up from feeding her baby and looked down again, obviously weighing her options. "Would you like to hold the baby or go break up the fight?"

Inuyasha was already halfway over there before she could finish the sentence. Sango smirked before cooing down to Ryoku.

The desire to fight was quickly conquered by the desire to laugh. Stupid hormones. But by the way Inuyasha acted around babies one would think that he was allergic to them. It would be interesting to see how he would be around a baby of his own. Of course, she sighed, that would depend on if, no… WHEN, Kagome comes back. She just couldn't picture the dog demon with anyone else.

She couldn't imagine anyone else putting up with him.

Letting go of Miroku before Inuyasha even reached them, Kikyo took a step back and tried to calm herself back into a rational person.

"Kaede said that today was the day that we would see each other in the reflections again. I need to find water so I may find my reflection. I want to see m…"

The rest of the sentence came out as a big whoosh as she was yanked up by the collar and tucked under one arm, much like a person would carry a ball. Seeing the ground flying by as her arms and legs dangled and only one arm holding her under the armpits was a bit disorienting. The nausea she thought she had gotten rid of was back full force.

She didn't land with a thud when Inuyasha dropped her. She landed with a splash.

Some days she really hated that demon.

She would have yelled at him for being so rude, but her heart melted just a little bit as she saw him looking anxiously into the water. Standing she began wringing water from her hair. It was a good thing that the water was so shallow. Unfortunately, she probably looked a mess. Not exactly how she wanted Hojo to see her. She sloshed her way out of the water and began running her fingers through her hair, making sure to keep a close eye on her reflection.

"Where is she?" demanded Inuyasha.

"I do not know. It must not be time yet."

He poked at the water with a claw. Then he turned his glare on her, as if it was HER fault that the magic was taking its own sweet time. "Where is she?"

"I do not know. Have patience."

She found it rather ironic that it was her who ended up needing a good dose of patience as the dog demon exceeded her expectations for annoyance. If he wasn't telling her to hurry up and get Kagome, then he was practically breathing down her neck as she watched the water. There were a couple of times when she was fairly certain that he had been thinking of throwing her in to see if that got any results. Finally he asked her one too many times. She hadn't meant her response to me quite so malicious, but he had been really getting on her nerves.

"Where is she?" he had asked her.

Her answer, to her shame, was to suggest that Kagome had probably given up on him and was off doing _things_ with a man she could actually get close to. Yes, she had italized the word 'things' in her speech, causing even the sometimes slow-to-catch-on dog demon to know just what she meant. Instantly she felt bad for the insinuation as he looked like someone had ripped out his heart and stolen his soul.

She took a deep breath and wiped her hands on her grubby clothes. She absolutely hated apologizing, but she couldn't bear the stricken look on his face.

"I did not mean that," she told him. "I was angry and frustrated. Kagome would not give up on you."

His ears flattened, and he schooled his features to look bored. But his eyes betrayed him. She had hurt him. She had all but blown out the small flicker of hope that he would ever be with Kagome again, his mate.

"I am sorry."

"Feh."

They watched the water in silence. Waiting.

"She's been gone… a long time…"

It surprised her that Inuyasha actually sounded worried. Could he really believe that Kagome would ever… oh great… now she felt even worse! And she hadn't thought would be possible.

"Things will be as they should," she told him.

He glared at her, eyes sparking gold. "That's what that witch said… before Kagome was taken away."

"She is not a witch. She is a miko."

Inuyasha's reply to what he really thought she was made Kikyo nearly choke. She may have thought something similar, but she never would have said it out loud. You never knew who was listening. She didn't, however, disagree with him.

The bushes began to rattle in the distance. Inuyasha's ear twitched backwards for a moment, then went back to concentrating on the water. It must be their companions.

The fox demon quietly came and sat beside Inuyasha and stared into the water with him. Sango and Miroku began unloading their belongings. A blanket was laid on the ground for Ryoku to sit on.

"You could have waited for us," complained Miroku.

Kikyo stifled a laugh as Inuyasha wordlessly told him what he could do with his opinion.

The morning passed and Sango began making a fire, knowing that the group would likely not be moving on for the day. When she was finished, Miroku went to search for some food for their meal. He came back empty handed and asked Inuyasha if he would mind hunting down some lunch. The request was ignored. He suggested that Shippo try his hand at hunting, and was rewarded with a similar wordless answer with what he could do with his suggestion.

Inuyasha was a bad influence.

Kikyo knew that they would all go hungry before either of them left the water. That was fine with her, she wouldn't have taken her eyes off the water long enough for a meal anyhow.

The noon sun sparkled on the water. Once she may have found peace by watching the sun dance in the rippling water, but now all she could feel was anxiety. The sparkles were almost blinding as the water began to shimmer.

Yes!

"Hojo!" she screamed. "Kaede! Are you there?"

"What the…" Inuyasha sounded startled as the water began to clear and showed Kagome with her hands around Hojo's neck.

Kikyo was speechless.

Inuyasha roared and sliced at the water with his claws. "I'll kill you!" he snarled at Hojo. "Get your hands off her!"

Kikyo's eyes narrowed as she glared at the dog demon. "HER hands are on HIM, you fool!" She wished she had claws.

Kagome and Hojo turned to them with smiles on their faces. Her mirror image's hands fell to her side as she turned towards them. Hojo, the cheating no-good faithless husband, turned towards them as well, grinning. Kaede popped up between them. They looked like they were posing for a family photo. Kikyo's heart felt tight.

It hurt.

She didn't know that anything could hurt this bad.

"Daddy couldn't get his tie straight," Kaede said as she waved to Kikyo. "Aunt Kagome said if he didn't stop fiddling with it she would strangle him." Then she turned to Kagome with a scolding look. "It's not nice to threaten to strangle Daddy."

Kagome laughed and held up her hands in mock surrender. Then she cocked her head to one side and looked at the fuming dog demon.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked him.

"You… You… were touching…"

Kikyo placed her hand on his elbow in hopes of calming him, though her own heart was still beating hard, but he jerked his arm away. "She was helping him tie his tie," she explained. Then she smiled as the pain in her heart eased. "They wanted to look nice when they saw us."

She looked back into the water along with Inuyasha.

"You were helping him dress?

"Just with the tie, not like I helped him into his pants or anything."

Inuyasha growled. Oh wait… that was Kikyo making that noise.

"We went out for ice cream!" Kaede grinned broadly, interrupting what could have possibly been an ugly scene. "I asked Daddy to buy you a sundae. We put it in the freezer for you."

The world went blurry. Quickly Kikyo blinked away the tears.

"Thank you."

Shippo was excitedly waving to Kagome, and Sango brought her son over to see if he could peek at her too. Miroku wedged himself between Kikyo and Inuyasha to greet his friend as well. Kikyo wished they would all back off a bit.

"You look lovely, lady Kagome," Miroku said.

Kagome blushed as she showed off her new dress. She did look lovely. Kikyo bit her lip as she looked at Hojo, wondering if he ever noticed how lovely Kagome was. Inuyasha was right, they HAD been gone a long time. Three months? He could claim abandonment. He could start a new life. He wouldn't even have to look that far. Kagome was RIGHT THERE! He used to love her. Did he still? Was there still some small part of him that wanted her? She could actually feel the hysteria building up.

With wide fearful eyes she looked at Hojo.

Then the tears came, and this time she didn't try to stop them.

The love in his eyes was unmistakable. They were warm and soft, drinking her in. They made her melt. He loved her. Her. Kikyo. Everyone else disappeared as she looked at him watching her so intently.

"Hi," she said quietly.

He grinned. "Hi."

At that moment she understood just why Inuyasha and Kagome would sometimes just sit quietly and stare at each other through the reflections. There was something calming about just seeing him. His eyes told her everything he was feeling, and she hoped he could read what was in hers. Though she kind of hoped he missed the few moments of hysteria. He didn't need to worry over her any more than he already did.

"When you see Midoriko will you ask her if I can have a pretty pink jewel for my birthday?" asked Kaede.

"What!" Inuyasha turned his attention towards the child.

So preoccupied with staring at her husband, it took a moment for Kikyo to fully understand what her daughter had said. When she did, she could hardly contain her excitement. "Is she close, baby?"

Kaede shrugged. "Not close, but not too far. Be careful on the mountain, mommy, it's really tall and I don't want you to fall off." She looked over at Shippo and smiled, "But he can help since he knows it so well."

"Kaede," Kikyo pleaded, "Tell me where she is."

Instead of answering, Kaede looked over her mother's shoulder and cringed at the same time Inuyasha's ear flicked back and he began to growl.

The demon seemed to be some sort of rodent, like a twelve foot tall mutant mouse on steroids. Kikyo looked at the demon then back at her family. She wondered if she should be disturbed that it was actually a difficult choice to make, looking at her family or fighting for her life. The demon made her mind up for her as it leapt past her and landed in the water, scattering the image of her family.

Before Sango could grab her weapon or Miroku could utter a word, heck, before Inuyasha even cracked his knuckles, Kikyo was standing on the bank. Enraged. Blue flames caused a whirlwind around her, causing hair and fabric to whip around. With one hand on her belly, and one hand in front of her, Kikyo let out a yell.

"NOOOOOOO!"

The creature was instantly incinerated.

Kikyo dropped to her knees and searched the water, praying that her family were still there. She let out a sob of relief when she saw Hojo's surprised expression and heard Kaede clapping.

Kagome was laughing. "Don't mess with a pregnant miko," she hugged her stomach as she continued to laugh.

Kikyo smiled, and allowed herself to laugh as well.

"Midoriko," reminded Miroku gently. "You were asking where we might find her."

Instead of answering Miroku's question, Kaede looked at her mommy sadly and waved. "I'll miss you, Mommy."

Before Kikyo could respond, the image faded from sight, and she was left looking at her own reflection. Her heart was beating so hard she would be surprised if the others didn't hear it as well.

"What… what does she mean that she will miss me?" she asked in a whisper.

Inuyasha shrugged and turned to walk away. "Your probably gonna die."

Sango rolled her eyes. "The master of tact," she grumbled. But Kikyo noticed that she didn't dispute what the dog demon said.

No one met her eyes as the packed their belongings.

Would she not have a happy ending after all?

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Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews and your patience! I hope everyone had a nice holiday (which I blame for the lack of updates).


	19. Christmas Wishes

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. I don't own the rights to "The Last Unicorn", but I loved the movie and the book (those I own copies of) by Peter S. Beagle.

Chapter Nineteen: Christmas Wishes

July 1

Yet another sleepless night. It wasn't a complaint, it was just the way things were. Good thing he had his demon blood, otherwise he probably would have dropped dead of exhaustion by now.

Sleep was his enemy.

Closing his eyes meant seeing Kagome as she was being stolen from him. That flash of panic on her face as the magic grabbed her. She was always in his thoughts, so having her on the brain wasn't unusual. But at night, without distractions, her loss was almost overwhelming. Her scent had all but faded from everything she had touched. The only thing left that held a trace of the scent he had grown to depend on was on his rosary. A part of him knew that likely it was just the memory of her scent, but whenever he touched it he could at least pretend…

It had been a touching gift, one she had made with her own hands. It was the first time that he thought that she may really feel something for him beyond simple friendship. It gave him his first real hope. She had shared her family's memories of Christmas with him, and they began their own family tradition. They were a family.

Inuyasha smiled. Kagome sure did like to celebrate. She would celebrate holidays from her own culture, and holidays from other cultures. He was pretty certain she even made up a few of her own. Kagome celebrated life.

His reasons for keeping her at a distance just seemed so stupid now.

Closing his eyes he tried to recall every moment of that first Christmas together. He remembered how he grumbled at how she would decorate a tree or a shrub every time they sat up camp. He remembered he eyes sparkling with joy as she sang and hummed. He remembered how she would ask him what he wished for. But at the time he really had nothing he wished for. He had her. There did not seem to be a need to wish for anything then.

But he had something to wish for now.

He wished for Kagome.

He wished to be able to breathe in her scent again.

He wished he could touch her again.

He wished that he could see and talk with her alone, without every single person in the whole stinking world there trying to compete for her attention! Unfortunately for the magic to work, Kikyo had to be there too.

But he still wished it.

"Inuyasha?"

The dog demon looked down to see the sleepy fox kit. "What is it, brat?"

"I can't sleep."

Inuyasha grunted and shifted a little. Shippo hopped up beside him and curled himself into a ball.

"I miss her stories."

"Yeah."

"Do you remember the stories?"

"Go to sleep, brat."

Shippo grumbled about meanies and closed his eyes. It wouldn't be the first time the fox kit had fallen asleep clutching the edge of the fire rat robe. He'd make sure to boot him back to his own sleeping spot before the others woke up. Shippo took comfort being next to him, and he'd never admit to it even under torture, Inuyasha took comfort from him as well.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha closed his eyes, and wished. He touched his rosary, his first Christmas gift, and inhaled to catch even a trace of her scent. He would never forget her scent, ever. It was imprinted on him. He would remember her when humans are fairytales in books written by rabbits. Smiling softly he remembered that phrase. It was a quote from a book she had loved, one of the stories she loved to tell.

"Inuyasha?"

"What?" The word came out harsher than he intended, but he had been startled, thinking that his young charge had already fallen asleep.

"I… I can't remember how the stories go…"

The voice was so small and so hurt that the dog demon winced, even though he knew it was a lie. He would often catch Shippo telling those stories to himself as he would draw in the dirt. Inuyasha knew he was lying, and Shippo likely knew that he knew that he was lying.

"Once upon a time," Inuyasha began, "There was this stupid parent who sent her defenseless kid off into woods infested by evil mangy wolf demons just to bring some old hag some food."

Shippo snuggled down, "It was her grandma," he half-heartedly corrected.

"Whatever." Telling the story made him feel closer to Kagome. It kept her with them. With him. Maybe the rosary wasn't her best Christmas gift to him after all. Maybe it was the feeling of Family. Of belonging. He just wished she was here to make the Family complete.

"Can a fox save her this time?"

"Keh. You gonna listen to my story or you gonna keep yammering?" Inuyasha put his hands behind his head and leaned back, more comfortable than he was before. He still wouldn't sleep, but that was okay. "Now… where was I?"

"Once upon a time."

"Yeah, right." Inuyasha allowed himself a smile. "Once upon a time…"

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Author's Note:

Yes, this is a short chapter. But it is as long as it needs to be. Next chapter will be longer. Plus there is a surprise in store!

Sorry if the story seems to be moving slow, I'm just trying to have points of views from different characters. The story is going somewhere, I swear. In fact, I have the outline sketched out all the way to the end. I hope y'all stay to the end.

Thanks for reviewing!


	20. Granted Wishes

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Twenty: Granted Wishes

July 1-2

It was the weirdest thing…

One moment, while she was studying one of those dusty old scrolls, she was wishing she could see Inuyasha again and the next she was standing in the middle of the woods.

Next to her bed and flowered carpet.

Her old bed.

From her mother's house!

It took her a moment to realize that this was the same place where she had met Kikyo in the past. A place where their two worlds met in dreams.

Kagome hopped up onto the bed and lay back, swinging her legs off the edge. Looking up at the night sky she could almost imagine herself back at camp. Sango would be smacking Miroku's hand away from her, hissing at him that this was NOT the time. Ryoku would be making those cute little baby whines while Kirara would meow softly to comfort him as she curled around him protectively. Shippo would be trying to schooch closer in his sleep. Kagome smiled, he had wanted a little more independence last year, and had started sleeping in his own spot, though he almost always still ended up next to her by morning.

And Inuyasha… he would either be lightly dozing, occasionally twitching his ears to listen for danger, or scanning the area to make sure things were safe. Ever the protector. If she didn't complain loudly and beg for midday breaks (where he would almost always find a place to fall fast asleep as she pretended to need a nap), she was sure he would never get any actual rest.

The pain in her chest never lessened. She still missed them with the same heart wrenching pain as felt when she was ripped from her world. Thinking about her friends was both comforting, and excruciating torture. She blinked away tears and tried to focus on something other than her misery.

…

…

…

Of course, that was easier said than done. These days she had just been letting herself wallow in misery, so focusing on anything else was nearly impossible. Even visits with her family didn't help. Oh sure, she'd put on a smiling face when they were around, but really she just wanted to let herself drown in a big ol' vat of pity.

What was taking Kikyo so long to get here?

_Whoooosh!_

Kagome sat up. Whoosh?

The leaves rustled off in the distance, and she could make out the sound of running feet. Was there a weapon for her to use? She looked around. Nope, not unless she wanted to see if that gag about pulling the carpet underneath someone really worked. But since this wasn't a slapstick comedy, she doubted that would work.

"KAGOME!"

Her heart stopped beating.

That WASN'T Kikyo!

"Inuyasha?" The name came out in a whisper.

"KAGOME! DON'T MOVE!"

"Inuyasha?" Tears began to stream down her face as joy caused her to laugh giddily. She jumped from the bed, but didn't leave the clearing. She didn't want to take the chance of messing up whatever magic brought them together.

"INUYASHA!"

Suddenly the footsteps stopped and the woods became quiet. All she could hear was her own heartbeat.

"Kagome…?"

She watched as Inuyasha stepped out of the trees and into the clearing. They looked at each other for a moment. Incredulous. Then Kagome smiled.

"OOF!"

He pulled her into his arms so fast and hard that it actually knocked the breath out of her. Not that she minded. Who cared about breathing now that she was here? One arm held her tight against his body as the other cradled her head to his chest. He bent his head down and rested it on her shoulder, she could feel his breath against her neck. He was trembling nearly as much as she was. Her own arms were wrapped around him, clutching his fire rat robes in a death grip.

"You're back," he whispered roughly against her skin. "You came back to me… Kagome… you're back."

"Inuyasha…"

Oh dear. This was going to be hard. He didn't know that this was just a dream of sorts. "Inuyasha… I'm not back, not really."

But he wasn't listening. He continued chanting softly to himself that she was back and… was he petting her hair? Hoo boy, she reeeeeally didn't want to tell him now. She held him tighter. She'd tell him in a minute. Or two. Or twenty… She heard him inhale deeply and murmured something about her scent. She inhaled as well, trying to enjoy his own earthy scent. He smelled like the woods. She missed that smell.

All too soon his hands moved from her hair down to her arms and he was pushing her slightly away. He glared at her with shining eyes.

"Never leave me again," he demanded hoarsely.

"Hey! It wasn't like this was MY idea!"

Inuyasha smirked, then cocked his head to the side that always reminded Kagome of a curious puppy. She could tell that he was looking over her shoulder at the bed.

"What the…"

"It's my bed."

He looked at it suspiciously. "What is it doing here?"

Kagome cleared her throat nervously. "We aren't really here…" She now had his full attention. "We're in a dream I think. I met Kikyo here before. It seems like it's a place that is a part of both of our worlds, but really isn't anywhere."

"What do you mean we aren't here? Of course we're here!"

She shook her head. "Not really. But kind of." She scratched her head and laughed. "I never really understood it. But I think we are sharing a dream. Its magic I guess. Granting my wish to see you."

His eyes softened. "Or mine," he said so softly she wasn't sure she really heard it.

They were quiet for a moment before Inuyasha suddenly burst out swearing angrily. Kagome backed up and sat on the edge of the bed, letting him vent his frustration on the poor defenseless vegetation. When he was finished slaughtering the landscape he hung his head and sighed.

"I thought I had you back."

With a heart aching with the pain in his voice, Kagome reached out to put her hand on his arm to console him.

His expression went from despondent to determined. "I ain't letting you go!"

Before she could open her mouth he grabbed her wrist and threw her onto his back like she would toss on her backpack. It was a good thing he had hold of her wrist, because she hadn't had time to grab on before he was racing through the trees. She would have warned him that it wasn't wise to mess with magic, but they were going so fast she doubted he would have heard her, even if she had breath to yell. His hands moved from her wrists to her legs as he somehow increased his speed.

Leaves and branches whipped at her face as they raced. Luckily Inuyasha was able to dodge most of them enough to keep them from touching her, but the desperate pace he set kept him from being able to dodge them all. Kagome didn't mind the few scratches on her arms and legs, instead she held on for the wild ride, laughter bubbling up inside of her. She had thought she might never feel this again, this feeling of flying. Burying her face in his silver hair, she let her heart fill with joy.

"What the...?"

Kagome nearly flew over his head at the sudden stop. It was a good thing he was holding on to her legs otherwise she'd be making a crash landing just about now. The joy and laughter faded as she found herself back in the clearing that held her rug and bed.

"Inuyasha..."

He hardened his gaze, tightened his grip, and began running again. Tears pricked at Kagome's eyes, she didn't even bother lying to herself that it was because of the wind. But she had hoped...

This time when Inuyasha skidded to a stop, she was ready. She was also prepared for a barrage of colorful curses as they found themselves back in the bedroom in the clearing, but those didn't come. Instead she felt Inuyasha's fingers tremble as they held her against him. He was taking deep breaths as his ears twitched. Kagome's hand moved from his shoulders to wrap her arms around his neck, hugging him gently.

"Inuyasha... it's the ma..."

"No." He turned his gaze skyward. "I won't let you go."

Three running steps later they were airborne. He jumped from tree to tree until the woods grew small underneath them. That was when the saw the clearing and the surrounding trees... and that was it. Everything else was darkness. This time Inuyasha did curse as they began to fall back towards the earth.

Once they were on the ground, Kagome slid from his back. She pressed her face against his back and put her arms around him again. She felt crushed. Even though she had known it would be impossible, she had still hoped that somehow they would have found a way out of here. Forcing back tears she straightened. There would be time to cry when she was alone. Right now she intended to enjoy every moment she had with him.

Kagome reached out and tugged on his hand, making him follow her and sit beside her on the bed. They were silent for a moment. When she felt she could talk without her voice wavering, she gave what she hoped was a cheerful laugh.

"It's a good sign," she said, waving her hand to indicate her bedroom in the woods. "It means the magic is still working. That we're still connected."

"I guess so."

Kagome had not yet released his hand. In fact, she threaded her fingers through his, keeping them intertwined. Not that Inuyasha seemed to mind. She looked at their hands, enjoying the warmth of his skin. When she looked up she saw him staring at her. Usually he would blush and glance away, and they would pretend that they hadn't been looking at each other. But not now. Now it looked like he was memorizing everything about her. His thumb stroked over her fingers, a move he had never done in the few times they had held hands.

Her heart rate tripled as she realized that she was alone in the woods, on a bed, with the man she loved. She blushed. Inuyasha looked at her quizzically, then realized why she was blushing and his own cheeks turned pink. But he still did not let go of her hand, in fact, he seemed to tighten his grip slightly.

"I missed you," she told him as she leaned against him, letting her head rest on his arm. She smiled when she felt his head on hers.

"Me too."

We will find a way to fix this, Inuyasha."

"I know."

Unexpectedly, he moved away from her. She was about to open her mouth to say something when he reached for her. With his back against the headboard, Inuyasha drew her between his legs so that her back was pressed against his front. First his arms wrapped around her, then his legs. Kagome turned slightly so that her ear was pressed against his chest. There was something comforting about listening to his heartbeat. Twinning a lock of his hair around her finger, Kagome felt the need to anchor herself to him in someway.

"I… I just want to… be like this… for as long as we can…" Inuyasha whispered quietly into her hair.

There wasn't a need for words between them. No explanations or declarations needed. All they wanted was to just be together for as long as the magic would allow them. To draw comfort and strength from the other.

Kagome had no complaints. She was exactly where she wanted to be.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note:

Thanks for reviewing!

I don't see this as necessarily an abrupt ending, and some people may feel that I haven't "ended" this chapter well enough. But I just didn't have the heart to separate them again. So I'm letting them have each other… until the next chapter.


	21. The Shikon Jewel

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story and the whole alternate universe it resides in belongs to me. Me me me!

Chapter Twenty-One: The Shikon Jewel

July 22

"Are we there yet?"

"Not yet."

The group traveled over the rocky hills, towards the only mountain that Shippo knew of that he knew very well (as Kikyo's daughter had hinted at). It seemed like a million years since he had been there last. His family had once lived in these mountains. The kit was a bit wary of returning. He didn't want to face the memories of the family he had lost. He could remember his father's face, but couldn't recall his mothers. The only mother he had in his memory was Kagome. The only family he could remember being a part of was this one.

And now he was in danger of losing his new family. It wasn't the same without Kagome. No matter how much Sango tried to mother him, or how many bedtime stories Inuyasha mutilated, it just wasn't the same.

"Are we there yet?"

Shippo rolled his eyes. "For the last time, Inuyasha, we aren't there yet! I said I'd tell you when we got there didn't I?"

"Keh," the dog demon scoffed, "Just making sure you don't just start wandering around."

Of course, Inuyasha wasn't fooling anyone. His anxiety had everyone's last nerve buzzing. Even Kikyo had kept from baiting him the last few days to keep from being on the receiving end of his increasingly volatile temper. Shippo had a different reason for trying to keep in the dog demon's good graces. Inuyasha's threat that he'd leave them all behind on go by himself seemed more and more like a promise. And the kit had to be sure that if he left that he'd take him along.

"What do we know about where to look?" asked Sango tiredly.

"Did Kagome mention anything more about it when the two of you were sleeping in bed together?" leered Miroku.

Shippo cringed as Inuyasha's eyes narrowed.

"We weren't sleeping."

Miroku's laugh made Shippo want to run for cover. Inuyasha cracked his knuckles.

"I did not think you were."

Inuyasha growled. "We were just talking, you pervert."

"Is that what you call it?"

"Daddy's an idiot," Sango murmured to her child as she began walking quickly.

Shippo decided to follow her example. He turned to watch when he felt he was at a safe enough distance. Kikyo gave them a wide berth as she tried to catch up to Sango. The fox kit spared her a glance as she walked by. Her hand was on her stomach, as if protecting the child from the yelling, cursing, name calling, and flying fists. The bigger her belly got the more confused Shippo got about his feelings. On one hand he still blamed her for Kagome being gone, on the other hand, he was a little excited about seeing the new baby. What would he be to it? Anything? Did he even WANT to be anything to it?

And she really loved that baby. He often caught her talking to it when they walked, like Sango did with Ryoku. She was careful about what she ate and with what she did. Everything she did was with thought to the child inside her. It was awfully hard to hate someone who loved their baby so much.

It just made him miss Kagome more.

Laughter pulled him away from his thoughts. Shippo shook his head. How could Miroku laugh like that after the pummeling he just got? Did the man enjoy pain?

"He is giving us a few moments of rest," explained Kikyo softly as she took the opportunity to sit down. "Miroku is a very self sacrificing man."

Shippo sat down once Sango had come over to sit beside the miko. It still felt as if he were somehow being disloyal to Kagome if he did anything that seemed too friendly. But if Sango were sitting as well, then it was okay.

"There has to be an easier way for us to get a break," grumbled Sango.

Kikyo smiled at her. "Have you often been able to use reason with Inuyasha?"

"_I _haven't."

The silence that followed made it very clear that there was only one person who had been able to reason with the dog demon, and she wasn't there anymore.

By the time Miroku was able to stand back on his feet without wobbling, the others were rested enough to be able to continue. This time Inuyasha hung back and Shippo took the lead. There were occasional complaints about them being too slow, but that was about it. Seemed like Inuyasha was no longer in a combative mood. Shippo felt a little bad for him. His arms were tucked in his sleeves and he was scowling, but for all his posturing, the fox kit could tell that he was hurting. Suddenly the short break didn't seem worth the pain it caused the dog demon. Moving was the only way he could keep the feelings of loss from being too overwhelming. And the reminder of his night with Kagome only seemed to hurt him more. Not that he'd let any of them see. But Shippo was a demon too, and his senses told him of the suffering Inuyasha wouldn't admit to.

"Let's hurry up," he shouted and he leapt forward, surprising himself. "We can get there before nightfall if we hurry!"

The group complained that Shippo's pace was even more brutal than Inuyasha's. Four times Kikyo had to stop to use the bushes, and Sango needed to stop twice to feed Ryoku. Shippo could feel frustration bubbling in the air. But he wasn't sure if it was his or Inuyasha's. When Miroku suggested a meal break, Shippo nearly cried.

"But we're so close!"

Before he could begin to wail, he was grabbed by the collar and tossed into the air.

"C'mon, brat. They can catch up."

The fox demon had seen Inuyasha run before, had even been a passenger many times as they flew through the air. But he had NEVER seen him go this fast before! He shouted directions at him and held on tightly. He glanced back once and saw Kirara following at quite some distance away. He wondered how she was able to carry so many grown adults. And a baby. The thought was erased from his head as they entered the woods at the base of a mountain.

"Stop!"

Shippo flew over Inuyasha's head and landed in some prickly brush.

"Ouch!"

"What? You said 'stop', so I stopped."

"You never let Kagome go flying off."

Inuyasha snorted. "She hangs on better."

Not wanting to start a fight, Shippo merely made a sound of disbelief as he pulled himself out of the brush. Once on his feet he turned away from the dog demon and looked at the woods. There was something about them that made him… sad.

"I used to live here," he said softly. "It is my home."

Shippo wasn't prepared for the gentle way Inuyasha picked him up and set him on his shoulder once more. He was grateful that the others were far enough behind them that they wouldn't see the tears that were threatening to spill.

"Was your home."

Shippo managed a smile. "Yeah. Was." He wiped at his eyes, then pointed slightly to the left. "There's a trail that way. It leads up into the mountain."

They bolted for the trail, pretending they didn't hear Sango yelling for them to wait for them. Inuyasha being Inuyasha, he didn't take the trail exactly. Instead he leapt from point to point, springing quickly to the top where Shippo indicated. One last jump sent them soaring far above the clearing. It dawned on the fox kit that this way there he could scope out the area for danger first. He was impressed. He had always thought that the dog demon was showing off. But seeing him scan the area on the way up and on the way down he changed his opinion.

Oh no.

Did he actually just learn something helpful from Inuyasha?

Worse…

He was GRATEFUL!

He really needed Kagome back soon to bring balance back to his world.

With a satisfied grunt that there were no lurking enemies, Inuyasha landed, quickly tossing the kit from his shoulder to the ground. They both looked around. Though neither was quite sure what they were looking for.

"Is this it?"

"I think so."

"You _think_ so?"

Shippo scowled. "It wasn't like she drew me a map with instructions, you know. She just said the mountain. And this was the only place that made sense. My… my Papa used to bring me here."

"Feh."

Inuyasha and Shippo both turned when they heard a feminine yelp.

"Oh yeah. Kaede said I was supposed to be watching out for Kikyo." Oops. He turned to Inuyasha and they both shrugged. She was with Miroku and Sango, so she should be safe enough. Hopefully Kaede didn't have scary enough powers to know that he forgot about her mother and let her fend for herself on the mountain. Though part of him was curious as to what the girl would be able to do.

He tapped his chin.

"Though if they came up the trail, instead of leaping over everything like we did, they may have run into a den of wild cats. Oh, and there is one section that is all thorny brush. That wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't tipped with poison." Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at Shippo's comment. "Not a really really bad poison, just one that makes you itch like crazy. Unless you try to eat it, then it will just kill you."

"Anything else?"

Shippo cocked his head to one side and thought. "Hmm… they'd know enough to not touch the hives where the giant poisonous insects live. Right?"

Inuyasha sighed heavily. "Maybe we should go check on them."

They were saved the trip when Kirara hobbled into the clearing, followed by an irate group of humans. Miroku was curled protectively around his son while Sango helped Kikyo limp along. They were all disheveled with torn and dirty clothing.

"See," said Shippo, "They're just fine."

"Man eating plants?" demanded Sango angrily.

"Huh. I forgot about those."

It was probably a good thing that they were too tired to do anything other than plop down on the grass. The looks that promised death were enough to make him nervous, though. Inuyasha drew the fire away from the kit when he announced that they needed to get up and start looking around for the witch.

"Miko," corrected Kikyo.

Shippo personally thought that Inuyasha was correct, but he kept his mouth shut and started hunting the area for any trace of the witch. He tried using his senses. But he couldn't see her anywhere. He couldn't hear her. Sniff sniff. He couldn't smell her. The only ones he could smell, hear, or see was his pack. He tried to keep the sense of disappointment from taking over, but before he knew it he was sitting in the middle of the clearing crying out of frustration.

No one told him to be quiet.

Too distressed to drag himself back onto his feet, Shippo watched his companions search. Miroku called for Midoriko while weaving in and out of the trees at the perimeter. Sango inspected the area for any hiding spots with Ryoku strapped to her back. Kirara was searching from above. It was difficult telling what Inuyasha's technique was. He seemed to be appearing and disappearing all over the place. Kikyo was just sitting in the middle of the clearing.

Just as Shippo was about to work up the energy to get up and remind the miko about their search, the woman began glowing. The glow turned into a big bubble of light. It stung a little. Sango turned her face towards it, like she would sometimes do to feel the warmth of the sun on her face. Miroku also seemed to be enjoying it. Kirara wouldn't even come close to the light.

The light began to hurt a little more, but Shippo refused to leave. He did, however, go to Inuyasha and hide… er… sit behind his legs.

"You called little sister?" asked a smooth, cool voice.

"Yes, Midoriko."

Shippo peeked behind Inuyasha's legs. Sure enough, there stood a strange woman with a very powerful aura. She was very pretty, but very scary.

"I require your assistance to go back to where I belong."

The woman smiled warmly, though Shippo didn't feel warmed by it. In fact, he unconsciously tightened his grip on the fabric around Inuyasha's calf.

"You are where you belong."

Kikyo's calm face seemed to twitch a bit as she spoke. "I have a family I must return to. A husband and a daughter."

Midoriko frowned. "You married? You bore a child?"

"Yes." Kikyo stood and faced the woman with a raised chin, looking like she was about to do battle. Shippo wondered if having a family was against the rules for a miko. Would Kagome get in trouble too? But the rules didn't really apply to her. Did they?

It looked like the woman wanted to say something, but she simply stood there with her arms at her sides and simmered. It was very nerve wracking. He didn't miss the fact that Sango had passed her son to Miroku and was casually laying a hand on her weapon. Then she took a breath and spoke calmly, even though Shippo was fairly certain she wanted to incinerate them all.

"You have made your choices. Now you must deal with the consequences."

Inuyasha tensed, and Shippo fought another wave of tears. Midoriko wasn't going to help them?

"I do not belong here!"

"This is your world. I will not aide you in this quest. I will not allow you to disrupt the fragile balance of the worlds for your weakness."

"You WILL help me!"

Kikyo brought up her hands and scrunched up her face. She looked at her hands quizzically. Then she looked up at Midoriko with a look of dread.

"Yes, vow breaker. I have stripped you of your powers. You are worthy of being a miko no longer. Remember all that you have lost for your worldly desires. Now, return to me the jewel."

The woman moved to approach Kikyo, who was now sitting and looking miserably at her hands. Before Shippo could blink, Inuyasha had disappeared and reappeared in front of the witch. He had his sword out and looked more than ready to use it.

"Give me back Kagome."

For the first time since she had been summoned, Midoriko's face softened.

"I am sorry. But the girl does not belong to this world."

"She belongs with me!" he growled.

"I can not help you." She looked beyond Inuyasha to Kikyo. "Return the jewel."

Still in a bit of a shock from having her powers yanked from her, Kikyo simply sat on the ground looking like she was in shock. So Midoriko opened her hand and called to the jewel. It floated from where Kikyo had been carrying it to her outstretched hand.

"Bring back Kagome!"

Midoriko ignored the dog demon and studied the jewel now resting in the palm of her hand. It was simply a jewel. There was no light, no glow. Shippo wondered how she could be so calm with Inuyasha just inches from her, and snarling and looking ready to start shredding her. There wasn't even a flutter of an eyelash when he finally grew so angry that he took a swipe at her.

His claws went right through her.

Literally.

He stumbled a bit as the momentum of the swing carried him forward. Shippo would have laughed at the startled look on his face if he hadn't been sure that he was wearing a similar expression. But at least the strike seemed to get her attention.

She smiled kindly at Inuyasha. "I have been dead for centuries, demon. You can not harm me, for I have no real body for you to touch."

"What… How… What…?"

"It is my duty to protect this world. Though in death I have lost much power, I have not lost it all." She opened her hand and let the quiet jewel float. "I put my power, my soul, everything… into forging this jewel. But it is silent. It sleeps." She frowned at it. "And I can not wake it."

Shippo wanted to remind the woman that it glowed for Kagome, but he preferred to not have her attention on him. She was much scarier now that he knew that she was… well… dead.

Dead or not, it was still startling to see a sword swing through her middle.

"I want Kagome back! Now!"

Midoriko turned her attention from the floating jewel to the furious dog demon. "You can not. She must remain where she belongs."

"She belongs here!" Another swipe of the sword.

"No." She sighed. "The fabric that holds the worlds together is fragile," she explained. "Letting a person into a world where they do not belong can cause destruction beyond imagination. It will alter the path of time. Choices that might have been made will have changed. Important world changing events could somehow never occur because of one misstep by an interloper. Is it worth forever altering the course of the future for one young girl?"

"Yes."

Shippo swallowed. Then he added his "yes" to Inuyasha's. It was closely followed by Sango's and Miroku's. Ryoku offered up a happy gurgle and Kirara meowed. Kikyo stood silently and nodded.

Shaking her head Midoriko sighed once more. "Kagome should feel blessed that she is so loved."

"You'll help us?" asked Sango.

Midoriko closed her eyes.

Then she closed her fist, causing the jewel to shatter. She opened her eyes and sent the pieces flying with a wave of her hand.

"No."

With that, she simply vanished.

Kikyo started crying. Sango was screaming at Midoriko to come back. Miroku was trying to calm his wailing son. Inuyasha was staring at his palm. Shippo was too numb to do anything at all. Midoriko had been their last hope. And now that was gone.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked in a whisper.

Inuyasha closed his fist.

"We aren't giving up, runt. We'll get Kagome back."

"But… how?"

He opened his hand again and looked at the object in his palm. This time Shippo noticed that it was a piece of the shattered jewel. One tiny little pink shard.

"I have no magic…"

Shippo turned to look at Kikyo. Her hands were trembling, and the blood seemed to have drained from her face, making her look as pale as a ghost. Even more ghost looking that Midoriko, and _she_ was actually dead!

"We all got our problems today, wench," muttered Inuyasha as he tucked away the jewel.

Kikyo dropped her hands and just let the tears fall freely down her cheeks. Shippo's heart lurched at the raw pain on her face. He could almost smell the despair.

"Without my magic… I may never see my family again…" she choked back a sob. "Not even through a reflection!"

No one spoke a word.

Even the insects stopped chirping.

Never see Kagome again?

It was too horrible to contemplate.

Shippo felt the tears welling and was about to open up his mouth to let out a wail of agony. But before he could, Inuyasha grabbed him. Then he grabbed Kikyo. The others would follow soon. It didn't take many guesses for Shippo to figure out that Inuyasha was taking them to the closet body of water. Probably that small spring they had passed a couple of hours ago.

He wouldn't complain though, no matter how many hours he had to stare into the water. Watching. Waiting. Hoping.

Praying.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note:

I want to thank y'all for your kind reviews. Next chapter they'll be brainstorming what to do next now that Midoriko has refused to help them.


	22. Brainstorming

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story and the whole alternate universe it resides in belongs to me. Me me me!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Brainstorming

July 23

The giggle should have tipped Kagome off.

Kaede peeking underneath the changing room door should have been clue number two.

No extra clues were given, there wasn't time, though she was pretty sure if there was more time she might have figured it out and not felt quite so humiliated. Just as Kagome had stripped off the dress she had been trying on (her mother's suggestion to shop to take her mind off her troubles), the mirror sparkled and she was face to face with three sets of startled eyes, green, brown, and gold. At Kagome's screech, the sales clerk asked if she was okay from the other side of the door.

"Fine, just fine," she assured the woman.

She struggled to pull the fabric to her chest to cover herself up, but it had tangled at her feet. Kaede giggled again just as Kagome lost her balance (windmilling her arms in a desperate attempt to regain her balance, if not her dignity) and fell into wall of the changing room. Of course, then bounced a bit and landed on her rear. It wasn't the most graceful landing. She looked up, hoping somehow that Inuyasha had missed her fall.

He hadn't.

"Kagome!"

The reflection was still rippling violently where Inuyasha's hands were. She smiled when she realized that on reflex he had tried to reach for her. It warmed her heart and temporarily made her forget that she had just made a fool of herself.

"Ma'am? Are you alright in there?"

"Yes, yes, just tripped. I'm not used to walking in heels." It would have been a better excuse if she wasn't actually wearing flat soled sandals. Lying never was one of her talents. Though there were times it sure would have come in handy.

"Inuyasha," she whispered as she tried to make some semblance of order of herself. While clutching the dress over the front of her she reached for her street clothes. It was more difficult than it should have been since she did not want to take her eyes of the reflection in the mirror. "I'm so happy to see you!" Though he was seeing more of her than she preferred at the moment.

"We thought we'd never see you again!" cried the fox kit. "Kikyo lost her magic!"

"What?"

"Midoriko took my magic from me as punishment."

"Punishment for what?" she asked curiously. No one seemed inclined to answer her. Not even Shippo.

Giggle.

Kagome's eyes narrowed.

Kaede.

The little monster KNEW! She knew that they would appear in the mirror at the worst possible moment! She was still fuming over it as she quickly pulled on her shorts and tank top as best she could while holding the skirt of the dress under her arms to keep herself somewhat covered.

"K - Kagome!" This time her name was sputtered. She couldn't bring herself to look and see if Inuyasha was watching her dress, but there was no doubt he was thoroughly embarrassed. She knew she was.

Is it wrong to want to retaliate against a child? Just as she had decided that one little bitty act of revenge would be called for, the girl's face appeared under the dressing room door. Her eyes were wide and hopeful. She even had those happy sparkles in there as she peeked. The kid was too cute to be angry at for long, so Kagome simply opened the door and pulled her in, grumbling about cuteness being an unfair defense mechanism.

"What about Daddy?"

"Fine, get him!" She turned her attention back to her unintentional voyeurs. "Um… wasn't expecting you."

"Feh."

The door creaked open as a red cheeked Hojo entered the now cramped cubicle.

"Kikyo!"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down," said Kagome, "Or you'll get us kicked out."

Hojo nodded, the only indication that he had even heard her. His eyes were focused on his wife. "Kikyo," he put his palm on the mirror. "I miss you."

"Did you find Midoriko?" asked Kagome. It was a bad sign that neither Inuyasha nor Shippo could look at her. "You didn't find her." Her heart sank.

Kikyo shook her head. "We did find her. However, she has refused to help us."

"What!? Why?"

"Some stupid nonsense about messing with time," Inuyasha finally looked at her. His cheeks were a bit pink, which caused Kagome to blush.

"Messing with time?" Hojo looked away from his wife for the first time to look at the dog demon. "What did she mean by that?"

"She felt that the happiness of two women was not a justifiable enough reason to perhaps alter the futures of our world. Or worlds." Kikyo answered.

"So… there is the question of morality," murmured Hojo thoughtfully. Usually when Hojo got contemplative it didn't give her the shivers. This time it did. "Since neither of you were born in the world you want to get back to, you might change things accidentally that were meant to be. Do we have the right to possibly change the course of events? An important ruler might not be born. We may cause a person who may have invented a cure for disease may have decided to go down a different path."

Kagome grew cold. She wondered if she looked as frightened as Kikyo did. Inuyasha, however, looked so hot with anger that it wouldn't have surprised her if steam actually came out of his ears. Shippo was already sniffling miserably.

Hojo looked at them, a bit confused. "What?"

"We are not giving up," growled the dog demon threateningly.

"Well, of course not." Hojo said.

"But you said…"

"It was an interesting philosophical question, Kagome." He sounded offended, and slightly angry (an emotion she never really saw in him. She tried to picture him going into one of Inuyasha's rages and attacking with claws and had to smother a giggle. "I would never give up on getting my wife back."

"Don't talk to her like that!" snarled Inuyasha, showing a bit of that rage she never thought she'd miss so much.

"Apologize!" demanded the kit.

"He most certainly does not have to apologize," Kikyo said firmly. "He did not do anything wrong."

"No no, I'll apologize." He smiled warmly, scratching his head. "I did not re…"

"No apologizing!" It was a tone that every husband understood, so he wisely closed his mouth and contented himself to smiling apologetically instead.

Knock. Knock.

Kagome sighed. This was not going well at all.

"Ma'am, there is only one person per dressing room."

"I just needed to see my wife," Hojo answered.

Perhaps it was the catch in his voice that convinced the saleslady to leave them alone. Kagome was just grateful she'd not kicked them out of the store.

"So," she said, trying to change the subject, "What are we going to do now?"

"Hobo there is going to quit touching you before he gets eviscerated."

Kagome blinked. His vocabulary was improving. But how exactly did he plan on following up that threat?

"Do not dare threaten my husband, you dir…"

"HEY!" It took some effort to lower her voice. "Stop. Just stop. Inuyasha, the room is too small to help any touching. Kikyo, never insult Inuyasha the way you were just planning on insulting him."

Kaede giggled.

The sound startled Kagome. She had forgotten the kid was there. The little girl looked like she was enjoying the show. Though it seemed a little odd that she would get such a kick out of the fighting. There were times when it wouldn't surprise Kagome if the kid morphed into some sort of demon and tried to barbecue them all. Well great, now she had an image of Kaede with wings and horns shooting fire out of her mouth while pulling out a knife and fork, demanding someone hand her the sweet and spicy barbecue sauce. She'd never look at her the same…

"…shards."

"Hmm?" Kagome shook the image of Kaede chomping on their bones and brought herself back to the conversation. "Shards?"

"Pay attention, wench," snapped the dog demon irritably. "I said we're hunting the jewel shards. Maybe we can find a way to put it back together, even without Kikyo's magic."

"It's the only thing we could think of," added Shippo.

Kagome looked at Kaede, who looked at her innocently, though her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Do you know…" The girl smiled sweetly then turned her attention back to poking at her mother's reflection.

"The brat does know!"

"InuYASHA!" Kikyo glared at him. "My child is not a brat!" Her voice gentled as she spoke to her daughter. "Kaede, sweetie, do you know how to bring me back?"

"Magic!"

"Yes, baby, but what kind of magic?"

The little girl thought for a moment. She looked at Kagome. Then she looked at Kikyo. "The sparkly kind."

"Oh, now that's a big help."

"Inuyasha, be nice." Okay, it was exactly what she had been thinking too, but at least she hadn't said it aloud.

"Is that Kagome?"

Kagome looked over Inuyasha's shoulder and saw Sango. An angry looking Sango. If the look hadn't told her that she was upset with them, the smack she gave Inuyasha in the head did.

"Why didn't you tell us she appeared?" She shoved at bit and wiggled her way in so that she could see her friend. "We're hunting the shards."

Kagome smiled. "I heard."

"I already told her that."

"You're not exactly a reliable source of information now are you?" She turned briefly to yell over her shoulder. "Miroku! Kagome is here!" Once again she turned her attention to her friend. "You should see how much Ryoku has grown!"

"Yes…" Though she'd rather hold him instead.

"Enough jabbering. We need to figure out how to fix this mess now that the witch ain't an option."

"Miko," corrected Kikyo.

Then Inuyasha corrected HER with a new word that had Kagome covering Kaede's ears. Ah, she sure missed his foul mouth and his rotten temper.

"If Midoriko is no longer an option," said Hojo logically, "Then we need to figure out alternative options to put things back the way they should be."

"We're shard hunting, ain't we?" growled Inuyasha. "We ain't just sitting around… what are you doing anyhow?"

Kagome smiled, a little embarrassed to be out trying on clothes while the others were working so hard hunting shards of the jewel. How the heck were they going to find jewel shards anyhow? Seemed to be an impossible task. "Mom thought I'd feel better if I shopped for a new dress."

Instead of getting mad, Inuyasha's eyes softened.

"But we won't give up. Surely there are other ways that a person can…" She felt silly saying it, but she did anyhow, "…create a porthole between worlds."

"Perhaps we should take a trip and search out different libraries," Hojo suggested.

"Yes! That would be a great idea!" Kagome clapped her hands together. They had already gone through all the libraries in the area. Surely other libraries would have more resources that they could use.

"Take a trip?" Inuyasha asked.

"Together?" Kikyo squeaked.

"I wonder if we should take Kaede," Hojo wondered aloud, "Or leave her with her grandmother. Visiting libraries may be too boring for someone her age."

"Take Kaede!"

Kagome almost laughed at how Inuyasha and Kikyo had spoken at the same time. Sango and Miroku seemed just as amused as she felt. Though, she was trying to not be insulted by their lack of faith in their partners.

"Ma'am?" asked a female voice from the other side of the door. "Do you need any assistance?"

"No, thank you." The woman needed to wear a bell around her neck so she couldn't sneak up on them. Had she heard the others talking? Was she wondering just how many people were in the tiny little cubicle?

"We have other customers who would like to use the dressing room."

"Please!" she begged, "Just a little while longer!"

"You have only one dress, ma'am." The voice was suddenly cold and clipped. "I am afraid I must ask you to leave the dressing room."

"Size! I got the wrong size! Please, I need one a size larger!"

The saleslady grumbled, but left.

"Who is trying to make you leave?" asked Inuyasha. The tense way he held himself let her know that he wanted to fight. Being helpless never sat well with him.

"Not impor…" Yeah, like she really wanted a long discussion on why anything that threatened her safety was definitely important, so she decided to go ahead and answer him. "Salesperson," she told him. "It is her job to make sure that all the customers can use these dressing rooms. She's just doing her job, Inuyasha." She was glad she couldn't hear his muttered response.

She missed him. She missed his grumbling. She missed how overprotective he could be. She missed being able to breathe the same air as him. She missed splashing him with water and listening to his grumbling as she shook the water off. She missed the feeling of always being safe, knowing that he was there watching out for her. She missed the way her heart would do funny flip flops whenever their hands brushed while they walked. She missed fighting with him. She missed they way he would try not to smile when she made his favorite food for dinner. She missed the way he could slaughter a horde of enemies and in the next breath look at her with such gentle concern.

"I miss you," she said.

He reached out to her, but only made the reflection ripple as his hand went through the water. She placed her hand where the reflection of his was and could almost swear she felt his warmth.

Could it be as simple as willing herself through the mirror?

Suddenly hopeful, Kagome concentrated on her hand and willed it to go through, willing it to go through and grasp the clawed hand in front of her. She pushed. In her mind she pictured her hand going through the mirror.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha's voice sounded so sad. But she wasn't going to give up.

She pushed a little harder and she tried to focus her energy into her hand. Focusing the magic she knew she had inside her. Kaede said it was magic that would send her through. So she strained and pushed.

"Kagome… stop…"

She could do this.

She could.

All she had to do was work hard enough. If she summoned all her strength and every spark of magic in her, surely she could open up the porthole. It had been done before. So she pushed herself.

Then it shattered.

Kagome stared at the blood running down her hand. Then she looked up at the spider web of cracks on the mirror. Her friends' reflections were fragmented, but still there.

"So much for that idea," she sighed.

"Idiot." How was it that he could make an insult sound like an endearment?

Then she cringed as she heard the thumping of heels coming quickly in her direction. The saleslady was on her way back in a hurry. She looked back at Inuyasha, but he was already beginning to fade. The reflection was rippling as once again he tried to dig her out of the water he was watching her through. Ignoring the frantic pounding on the door, she sat on the carpet of the dressing room and watched until every trace of her friends were gone.

"Close your eyes," ordered Hojo as they heard a key fit in the lock. "Kaede, cry."

Kaede put on a mournful face and immediately tears formed in her eyes and began to make tracks. Kagome had only a moment to wonder how the kid could cry on command before the door swung open. She closed her eyes.

"Wake up!" he told her frantically, but before she could open her eyes he squeezed her shoulder and turned to the woman opening the door. "Give her some room, she needs air. I think she hurt herself when she fell!"

"Waaaahhhhhh!" wailed Kaede obediently.

Kagome was glad when Hojo gathered her up in his arms. Her face was hidden in the crook of his arm and no one could see her lips twitch. She tried to stay limp and to not laugh. Who knew that Hojo could be so devious? Suddenly she had a brand new respect for him.

"Oh no!" cried the distressed salesperson. "Should I call a doctor?"

Kaede wailed some more and Kagome wondered just how far Hojo would carry the charade. Luckily he assured the apologetic woman that it was a reaction to a new medication and that he would take her to their family doctor. Then he told her that Kagome seemed to already be regaining consciousness, which was her clue to flutter her eyelashes and open her eyes. She just hoped that she could make it through the next five minutes without a major giggle attack.

"Ungh."

"Shhh. I'll take you home. You're okay." Hojo gently helped her stand up while Kaede sniffled and grabbed onto the hem of Kagome's shorts.

Once outside of the store, Kagome let herself smile, regardless of the pain in her hand. Kaede let go of her, wiped her face, and grinned.

"Can we go get some ice cream?"

"You two go ahead," she told them. "I'm going to go home and take care of my owie."

Kagome watched them walk away. When they were out of sight she leaned against the wall of the building and began to cry. It was the worst brainstorming session ever! Half their time was ruined by a salesperson, and the other half they only came up with one idea to fix the problem. Well, two if you count the jewel shard hunting.

It hurt a little more each time she saw her friends. It hurt a whole lot more every time she watched Inuyasha fade away. Would her heart be able to take much more of this? She was beginning to lose hope.

"Are you okay?"

Kagome looked up at the salesperson who had waited on her in the store. Way up. Apparently some time while she was wallowing in despair she had sunk down to the ground. She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, wishing she had worn a shirt with sleeves. She also wished that she had a tissue. Bleah.

"I guess."

"Where's your family?" asked the woman whose name tag read 'Amane'.

The question brought on a new wave of tears and a few almost hysterical sobs. She felt the woman awkwardly patting her on the head.

"What can I do to help?"

"I could use a magic spell right about now."

Amane laughed. "Everything is going to be okay," she said confidently. "Your family will return."

Kagome wanted to believe her.

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Author's Note:

Thank you for your reviews. I always enjoy reading them. It is very uplifting to know that someone liked it.

The author does not really feel that shopping for clothes cures the blues. Clothes shopping is her least favorite sport. Now, shopping for art supplies is another story.

Next chapter we hear a little bit from everyone's point of view.


	23. Compulsions

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi or the American Heritage Dictionary, but this story and the whole alternate universe it resides in belongs to me. Me me me!

Chapter Twenty-Three: Compulsions

August 5

American Heritage Dictionary

**com.pul.sion**

a. The act of compelling.

b. The state of being compelled.

c. An irresistible impulse to act, regardless of the rationality of the motivation.

d. An act or acts performed in response to such an impulse.

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Poor kid.

Every night he still gets up to look for Kagome. He never sleepwalked until she was stolen away from us. But nowadays he sleepwalks. He sleepwalks so often it's getting hard to tell if he is actually awake. He's lucky he hasn't fallen off some cliff and splattered. Good thing I keep an eye on him or he would be buzzard bait for sure.

In his sleep he searches for her, like he was under some sort of compulsion. And he never finds her. Eventually he falls back to sleep. Sometimes he sleeps next to Kirara, and sometimes I let him sleep with me. Most of the time he inches towards Kikyo in his sleep. Probably because she smells the most like Kagome, though NObody smells like Kagome. He'd be mortified if he knew, so I try to toss him back to where he belongs before he wakes up. Sure it makes for a rude awakening, but it's better than him waking up and feeling guilty that he's as drawn as he is repulsed by Kikyo.

The little brat won't admit to the nightmares that wake him up. The others don't know, and it's not their business anyhow. I'm not sure if he knows about his late night quests. I'm not sure if I should tell him, either. Kagome would know what to do.

When she comes back things will be back to normal. He'll sleep through the night again. Though I'll bet I won't be able to peel him off Kagome for months.

He misses her songs and stories. He misses her warmth. He misses being able to hear her laughing and see her smiling. He misses the way she STILL acts like every stupid flower we run across is something special and magical just because they don't have them in her old world. He misses her scent, that slightly flowery slightly spicy always clean scent. He misses not being able to tell where she was at all times and if she was in any sort of danger and needs me to… Who is there to protect her now? That Hobo person? He'd probably offer any demon wanting to turn Kagome into their next meal some barbecue sauce and a napkin! Probably apologize if her bones get caught in it's teeth! What use is he?

She better be all right.

I'll kill him if he lets anything happen to her.

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Poor Kikyo.

I've pretty much stopped trying to hate her. Nowadays I just kind of pity her. She's turning into some sort of nervous wreck! She keeps checking out every surface that could possibly cast a reflection. What's that word Kagome used? Oh yeah, compulsive. She's compulsively searching for reflections, muttering curses about the lack of mirrors.

She even begs the water to let her see her kid and her husband when she thinks no one is paying any attention to her. But I see. No one thinks I pay attention, but I do. I even know that sometimes she swears at the water and throws rocks in it when it doesn't show her what she wants. I thought she was supposed to be all calm and cool, but she sure can throw a fit when she thinks she's alone. And they say I throw temper tantrums! Ha!

Maybe it's hormones, whatever they are.

I asked her once, but she narrowed her eyes all scary like at me and I decided I didn't really need to know the answer after all.

Also, I kinda wonder what in the world peanut butter is, and why she would kill for it. I haven't asked yet. I bet Kagome would know.

I don't know whose stupid idea it was to search for shards. So far we look and we look and we look, but nothing! Kikyo sometimes gets a faint idea of a direction it MIGHT be. Then Inuyasha yells at her for being useless. Then she tries to purify him. Of course, then she remembers that she doesn't have her powers anymore and either cries or throws rocks at his head.

I like it better when she throws rocks at his head.

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Poor Inuyasha.

He is going to drop dead from exhaustion. He keeps count of this little group compulsively. Every few minutes he does a head check, making sure none of us are lost. Or have been taken. He prowls around the campsite or the grounds of the inn if we are lucky enough to find one to allow us to stay the night. I never thought to ask how long one with demon blood could go with no sleep. It seems that I may find out.

I refuse to argue with him over anything else. I am tired of fighting. I am sick of walking on eggshells to keep from setting off his temper. I truly do not know how Kagome was able to stand being around him for so long. I wonder … I wonder if she will even want to come back if the opportunity presented itself.

What if Kagome decides to stay?

No one has asked that question. I doubt that any one will. Not out loud. The only thing that keeps this little group from crumbling is the hope that one day Kagome will come back and things will be as they have been.

That is not true, I suppose. In fact, Inuyasha has asked that question. I see the question in his eyes every time we pass by water and he looks into the reflection. The question is especially apparent on the days we are by the water washing the remains of demons from our clothes and skin. He wonders if she will choose to come back to this life of hardship and danger when she is surrounded by comfort and safety.

Reminding him that her world is not at all safe is a mistake that will not be repeated. Deforestation may soon become a problem.

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Poor Kagome.

Does she know that people are talking about the way she compulsively checks her reflection? I hear them talking about Kagome's vain cousin Kikyo. It's difficult not to correct them, but no one would believe the truth. Luckily those times don't come too often, since it isn't easy to get her to leave the house.

That's ok, too. I enjoy the company. She's not Kikyo, not by any stretch of the imagination. But if I half close my eyes and just look through my lashes, then sometimes if I try hard I can almost pretend that she is her.

Pathetic, I know.

I can live with it though.

In addition to being known as vain, Kagome (of course, everyone else knows her as Kikyo now) is also the subject of gossip regarding her addiction to archery. Even Kagome does not know why she feels the overwhelming need to practice. We set her up a range in the back of her grandfather's shrine. It is no ordinary range either. Kagome insisted that we find a way to rig it so that the targets would swing from trees or pop up from behind bales of hay. To be honest, the back of the shrine looks more like a military training camp. But Kagome says that her targets rarely sit still and wait for her to shoot them. I suppose it makes sense.

Though she does have one target that remains stationary. Considering how important it was for her to have targets that moved, it is a bit strange how she took such great pains with this one target. When I ask her why, she simply shrugs.

For a brief time I thought that perhaps she would rekindle her friendship with some of the girls she had been friends with in school. But they seem to view her as aloof, vain, and somewhat violent individual. Not that Kagome seems to mind. If she is not shooting arrows at targets, then she is studying dusty scrolls or surfing the internet for any information that might lead her home. She insists that she is close, that she can feel it.

I wish I had her faith.

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Poor Hojo.

I wonder if he knows that he's a bizarre compulsive shopper. He keeps buying Kikyo's favorite ice cream. He buys her favorite fruits and vegetables. I end up having to throw half the stuff away! I don't think he even knows that he does it. I'm trying to decide if that is really sweet or just really weird.

I've even seen him pick up her favorite shampoo and put it in his cart. And trust me, no one uses that shampoo but Kikyo. I had run out of my own brand one day and used a bit, and the poor guy took one whiff and burst into tears. The bathroom is practically a shrine! Her soaps, shampoos, perfumes, and make up are all set out as if on display. If I move something (I swear by accident), the next time I come in it will be moved back. Sometimes I intentionally move things just to see if it goes back into its place.

It does.

Again… very sweet or very weird?

Since he doesn't go all psycho on me when I do it (even when I'm pretty sure he knows I'm doing it on purpose), I'm going to lean towards sweet. It's like he wants everything to be perfect and waiting for her. Like she'll be home at any moment.

I wish I had his faith.

I'd feel sorry for Kaede, but there is something off with that girl. I mean, she's nice enough I guess. But sometimes I feel like I'm playing the Hot and Cold game with her, only I don't know what it is I'm supposed to be trying to find.

She misses her mother, I know that for sure by the longing I see in her eyes. And the sadness. But she doesn't cry for her. When I was that young I'd cry for my mother if she was out of my sight for more than five minutes! I guess its just weirding me out that she is taking everything so well. So in stride. Of course, Hojo doesn't find anything weird about it at all. He just tells me that she is exceptionally bright.

I try to bite my tongue and not say anything.

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Poor Midoriko.

She's not gonna be happy. Not a bit.

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Author's Note:

Thanks for the reviews and the encouragement. It means a lot to me.

I hope that this chapter wasn't too confusing. Everyone's story was told from someone else's point of view. You'll just have to guess who was telling the story. With luck it shouldn't be too hard to tell.

Next chapter someone gets a wish granted.


	24. Birthday Wishes

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi or the American Heritage Dictionary, but this story and the whole alternate universe it resides in belongs to me. I guess Little Kaede belongs to me though…

Chapter Twenty-Four: Birthday Wishes

August 23

_If I never see another child again, I will die happy._

Even as she griped in her head, Kagome knew that she didn't really mean it. In fact, she was kind of looking forward to having kids of her own one day. Hopefully with cute little puppy ears.

However, as she was cleaning up blue icing off of her mother's nice hard wood floor (not bothering with the blue icing that was streaking her hair, it went so well with the pink icing clumped in there), she was seriously debating whether or not there should be a law against so many kids under five years old in one building. Surely it is against some sort of fire code. Surely someone out there was looking to protect the sanity of others. Did this fall under cruel and unusual punishment?

Why did kids have to have birthday parties anyhow? And who in the world was the fool who thought that two dozen screaming, tantrum throwing, drooling, screaming little demons would all fit in her mother's house? And who thought that giving them sugar was a good idea? Cake, cookies, ice cream, candy… what, were they all insane???

And did she mention the screaming?

Heavens above! The screaming! Happy screaming. Angry screaming, Excited screaming. Scared screaming. Demanding screaming. Sad screaming. The only one not screaming was Kaede. But that was no big surprise.

Pausing in her quest to keep the dyed sugar from ruining the floor (and walls… and furniture…), Kagome looked over at the little girl. She watched the other children play, but she didn't leave her spot on the rug. She was surrounded by presents, but didn't seem the least bit interested in them. She didn't speak to the other kids unless spoken to first. And let's just face it, the other kids weren't all that interested in speaking to the kid. Most of them refused to acknowledge she was even there, and the others seemed to keep a wary eye on her. No one talked to her without much parental persuasion.

_Rotten brats. If they are only here for free food and treats then they shouldn't have even been invited,_ snarled Kagome silently. Sure she knew the child was peculiar, but she hated the fact that other kids treated her like she was some sort of fungal disease. If she were Kaede's mother, she'd send all these monsters packing.

Kagome's eyes softened. Maybe Kaede was only this quiet, this introverted, because she didn't have her mother anymore. Poor Kaede. And poor Kikyo. It must be murder on her today, knowing that it was her daughter's birthday and she couldn't be here.

"Hey, kid," Kagome greeted as she crawled over to the kid, abandoning her cleaning project. It was just going to get filthy in another two seconds anyhow, so she wondered why she even bothered.

"Hello, Kagome."

"Shhh, its Kikyo, remember?"

Kaede cocked an eyebrow at her. The dry look completely startled Kagome. It was much too grown up of an expression for such a young child. Even after all this time she hadn't gotten used to it. "No one can hear."

_And no one cares,_ Kagome thought sadly.

"You set Mommy's piece of cake in the freezer, right?"

Kagome nodded, "Sure did. Wrapped it in foil, twice. And put it in a freezer bag. I even used toothpicks to prop up the foil so the flowers don't get smushed much."

Kaede had stopped Hojo when he was cutting the cake at the beginning of the party, asking that he put aside the corner piece with the biggest roses. She knew it was for Kikyo. It was one thing she wasn't planning on throwing out of the refrigerator no matter how frost bitten it may get. At least it was something she could do for them.

Kaede nodded solemnly. Kagome felt the need to cheer her up. No one should be so... so alone... on their birthday. Especially a child.

"Bet I know what you wished for," she teased.

The child smiled. It was a good start.

"Uh huh. When they leave it can come true."

Was Kaede's wish that all these undisciplined monsters would leave too? Maybe she could wish for a bottle of aspirin while she was at it. And maybe a magical cleaning service so she wouldn't be stuck washing all the walls and furniture down. Would it be easier just to take a hose to the place? Or a match? No no no, her mother would be devastated if she burned the house down. Maybe they could just move instead.

Kaede grinned and her eyes sparkled, making Kagome wonder if her ponderings were pondered out loud. She looked around to see if there were any irate parents around ready to rip her head off for disparaging their precious angels. Nope. She was safe.

"I wished to see Mommy tonight so she could tell me a bedtime story." Then she patted Kagome's hand in sympathy, "But just Mommy."

"Just Mom… wait… you mean, no Inuyasha?"

"I'm sorry."

"How… how do you know it will come true? How do you know it will just be Kikyo?" The girl smiled mysteriously, making Kagome want to scuttle back a few paces. "Do you control the mirror?"

Kaede looked away.

"Kaede Kanna, answer me! Do you control the mirrors?" She was pulling out the big guns by using the middle name. Her mom always did that when she was serious and demanding an answer.

"Mommy had to leave," she said simply as she looked out the window.

"What?" Kagome's blood seemed to freeze in her veins. Surely Kaede didn't mean what she thought she meant. It wasn't possible.

"She had to figure stuff out, and she couldn't do it here."

"What?"

Kaede shook her head sadly. "Mommy won't come back 'till she figures it out."

"Figure what out?"

"You have to figure it out, too."

"FIGURE WHAT OUT?"

Infuriatingly, Kaede shrugged. Then she stood up and brushed the skirt of her blue and white dress. Kagome fought the urge to grab her and shake her.

"You know what's going on! You know how to fix it!" She knew her voice was rising, probably bordering on hysteria, but she didn't really care at the moment. "Tell me! Please, Kaede! You have to tell me!"

Kaede looked at her with ancient eyes, causing chills to go up her spine. She shook her head solemnly and gave Kagome another pitying look. "If I tell you, then you won't have learned. All Mommy's stories have a lesson you learn. You and Mommy have to learn your lesson. You figure it out alone."

"This isn't a story!" Kagome screamed at the child, earning herself some odd looks from the parents. "It's my life! Tell me how to fix this!"

Kaede simply turned and went into the room she used at her grandmother's house. Kagome's old room.

"What have you done?" she asked the air, uncertain she wanted to actually ask Kaede. Uncertain she was ready for the answer.

Kagome sat where she was, trembling. What was Kaede? And what lesson was she supposed to learn? What was Kikyo supposed to learn? If the kid would just TELL them then they could learn their lessons and be done with it. But surely it couldn't be that simple. Surely she wouldn't have tortured them for so long by keeping them apart when she had the answers all along. Surely even Kaede couldn't be that evil.

Could she?

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Author's Note:

Thank you for the reviews! They really help keep an author motivated.

I'm impressed that some of you got the fact that it was Kaede narrating that last section in the last chapter. I didn't give you much to go by and you STILL got it! Woo hooo! Way to go!

Oh yeah, I also thought I should mention that neither Kagome nor I really hate kids. She was just very tired and frustrated.

Next chapter Kikyo and Inuyasha have a heart to heart chat.


	25. Chances Lost

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. All I own is my own little universe… mostly imaginary, but hey, it's mine.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Chances Lost

August 26

"I may no longer have my powers," snarled Kikyo, "But I can still put an arrow through your black heart!"

"Try it!" Inuyasha crouched and flexed his claws. "C'mon and try it, you bi…"

"INUYASHA!" yelled Sango. "Kikyo! Stop this!"

But the arrow flew.

Nimbly, Inuyasha dodged the arrow, though he may have lost a few strands of silver hair in the process. With one powerful push of his legs, the dog demon flew into the air, pulling back one clawed hand to prepare to strike. When gravity began to tug him back to earth he pushed off of a nearby tree to give him even more momentum as he aimed straight for Kikyo.

"No!" cried Miroku as he threw up a barrier to protect the pregnant ex-miko. "Inuyasha, get a hold of yourself."

With a "Keh", Inuyasha landed gracefully a few feet away from the monk, carefully avoiding the barrier (those things could HURT). "Stand aside," he growled fiercely. "She wants to fight, I'll give her a fight."

"She is with child," joined another voice, this one feminine and pleading.

"That's her excuse for everything, Sango! I'm sick of it!"

Kikyo shot an arrow at the barrier, but it fell harmlessly to the ground. "Let him through," she fumed as she pulled out another arrow. "He is no threat to me. And I will kill him for what he has done."

Sango rubbed the bridge of her nose and took a calming breath. "Kikyo, this is not helping. Please calm down."

"Let the barrier down!" called a surly looking Shippo, who was watching the fight with interest from a tree branch. He was sitting with his arms crossed belligerently, in a pose that Inuyasha was often found in.

"Hush, Shippo. Kikyo, put down the bow."

Kikyo proceeded to swear at Sango for her interference in a way that would have made Inuyasha proud had he not hated her guts at the moment. The dog demon could tell that the slayer was sorely tempted to have her husband lower the barrier. He hoped she would. He hoped that she would want the same vengeance that he thirsted after. He drew his sword in anticipation.

However, he was disappointed.

Instead of making her husband lower the barrier, Sango merely closed her eyes and clenched her fists at her sides, drawing in a deep calming breath. Her battle aura was flaring brightly, making the men unconsciously take one step back. When she opened them again she didn't look much calmer, so Inuyasha held out hope that she'd see things his way and lower the barrier.

"I am sorely tempted to take my husband and my child and let the two of you tear each other asunder." She ignored Shippo's squawk of annoyance that he had been left out. "For three days the two of you have been arguing, fighting, and trying to kill each other. This ends today. It ends now!"

"But she…."

"I know what she did, Inuyasha."

"He…"

"I _know_ what he did, Kikyo." She shot a glare at the two combatants. "And to be honest, I just do not care. The both of you are over reacting."

"She didn't call when the connection to Kagome's world opened," Inuyasha accused, pointing his sword at the offending person. "She took away my chance… _our chance _to see Kagome! We haven't seen her in a month, Sango. _A MONTH!_ Who knows when we'll ever see her again! She took that away from me!"

"I TOLD you that Kagome was not there, you idiotic demon! The only person there was my daughter!"

"LIAR! That's not the way it works!"

She drew another arrow and shot it, cursing as it fell uselessly to the ground. "I am no liar, dog. And YOU disrupted the magic when you crashed through the water! I have not seen my daughter, my flesh and blood, for a month and YOU ruined it! What if that was my last chance to ever see my baby again? You MONSTER! You took her away from me because of your petty jealousies!" She reached for another arrow, when she found it empty she threw the quiver at him. "It was her BIRTHDAY!"

"Drop the barrier, Miroku," commanded Inuyasha.

A trickle of sweat dripped down the monk's face, but other than that he looked calm and serene. "Now, Inuyasha. Let us try to be reasonable."

Inuyasha gave him a suggestion of what he could do with 'reasonable'.

"My friend, I understand why you are angry. I understand how you feel cheated out of your rare chance to see our comrade. Our family." He looked at Kikyo from the corner of his eye, suddenly giving Inuyasha hope that maybe the monk could be 'reasonable' and let the barrier down so he could dish out a little punishment. "However," Inuyasha hated that word, it always meant that things weren't going to go his way, "Without Kikyo, you would have no chance of ever seeing Kagome again."

"Fine!" he huffed, "I won't kill her."

"Maiming isn't killing," muttered Shippo, which earned him one smirk and two frowns.

"No maiming. No killing. No anything. You will sit quietly and talk like civilized beings. You will talk about this without yelling, screaming, calling names, throwing punches, shooting arrows, kicking, pulling hair, scratching, biting, or in any way do any sort of harm to the other," instructed the demon slayer angrily. "Or I will cut your legs off and throw you down the cliff myself!"

Everyone gulped.

"Inuyasha," she snapped, "Take Shippo and go get firewood." She pointed at Kikyo. "You start hunting for berries that we passed along the way." She pointed at Miroku next. "You, take your son and set up camp."

"W..w..what about you?" asked a very nervous fox kit.

Inuyasha grabbed Shippo by the tail and tossed him up on his shoulder, asking him if he had some sort of death wish. The kit trembled when Sango turned her fiery gaze on him.

"_I_ am going to go hunt dinner. I seem to be in the mood to kill something."

The group nodded silently and backed slowly away to go do their assigned chores. They stayed silent as dinner was prepared, each warily eyeing the giant wild boar who had seemingly died a very painful death roasting on the spit. Her mood hadn't seemed to improve much, but at least it wasn't one of them who ended up on the receiving end of her sword.

"Is she always this intense?" whispered Kikyo to Miroku.

"You should have seen her when she was pregnant…" he replied.

Apparently being a mother meant that she had superhuman hearing, since Sango caught the conversation easily. She moved to stand and Miroku felt that it was the perfect time for everyone to get ready for bed. Cheerily he bade everyone a good night. Inuyasha rolled his eyes as the monk confessed his love to his wife, his own particular way of begging for forgiveness. Shippo decided to sleep across the fire from the slayer. Kirara decided to join him, even she was a bit scared of Sango at the moment.

Inuyasha picked up a skewer of meat and watched as one by one they fell asleep. He cared for them. For each of them. But Kagome left a gaping hole in his life. In everyone's life.

"Inuyasha, why are you such an idiot?"

The dog demon sputtered, nearly chocking on the boar meat he had been absently chewing. Of course, dinner was hours ago and the meat was charred nearly beyond recognition, but it was still edible.

"WHAT?"

Kikyo looked at him straight in the eye. "Do you really wish to wake the others?"

He simply growled at her. He was used to being called an idiot from Shippo. And Miroku. Okay, and sometimes Sango. He suspected Kirara did too, though she tries to look all cute and innocent. But he wasn't about to take this from Kikyo!

"I ain't no idiot!" he hissed.

"You are still too loud." She stood up. It was a bit awkward now that she was starting to round out and could no longer exactly spring to her feet. "Walk with me."

He glared at her suspiciously. "Leave the bow."

She glared back. "Leave the sword."

By silent agreement they decided to take their weapons after all. They walked into the woods quietly, unwilling to wake the demon slayer. Inuyasha let Kikyo lead. Maybe they were going towards water. Maybe they were going to go see Kagome! The dog demon perked up immediately and began to pick up speed.

Kikyo stopped suddenly after several minutes. Inuyasha looked around but saw no sign of water. Then he sniffed the air. Nothing. His ears drooped.

"What?" he asked impatiently, irritated that they weren't on a trip to wait for the reflections to show the other world.

"I love my family and the life I have on the other side of the mirror," she said. "I adore my husband and cherish my child. The moment the wish Kagome and I made failed, I realized that my place was beside Hojo. I love him dearly. We married as soon as it was possible and Kaede soon followed. My own family."

"Yeah, so?"

Irritatingly she didn't show any… well… irritation. "The wish failed because I did not truly wish to be back here, and Kagome did not truly wish to be there."

"And?" Inuyasha crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Kikyo leaned against a tree and narrowed her eyes at him. "The wish failed four years ago, Inuyasha, because she wished to stay by your side. Why have you not taken Kagome as your mate?"

"Gah!" Startled, Inuyasha dropped his arms and backed up quickly, tripping over a gnarled root and fell on his backside. "WHAT?"

"I have wondered if perhaps we are unable to reach back to where we belong because you did not bind yourself to her as I did to my husband."

"WHAT?"

"Why?"

"That's none of your business!" he sputtered as he sat up on his haunches and turned his head to the side, prepared to ignore her. A small rock hit him on the side of his head. He turned in time to dodge the next one coming at him. "What is the _matter_ with you?"

"None of my business? NONE OF MY BUSINESS? My husband and child are on the other side of that reflection, demon. Anything that may be the cause of our separation is most assuredly MY business!" She stooped to pick another small rock. "Is it that you do not love her enough to bind her?"

"Don't be stupid," he growled.

"Or do you fear she does not love you enough." She studied him for a moment. "Or at all. Is that why?"

His jaw clenched. "You don't know what you're talking about! So just SHUT UP!"

Another rock beaned him in the head. This time he picked up the offending projectile and flung it back at her. Missing her head by a hair's breadth. He was disappointed that she didn't even flinch. She knew he wouldn't really hit her, just try to come close enough to scare her. How annoying. All bets were off once she birthed the kid though.

"Why have you wasted so much time, Inuyasha?" Her voice was soft now, pitying. "I have spent these past years thankful for every moment I get to spend with my husband and my child. Why have you not… surely Kagome did not turn you down?"

"Leave me alone."

"Are you ashamed to have a human for a mate?"

"WHAT?"

She smirked. "You are ashamed of Kagome?" She made a tsk-ing sound. "And I thought you cared for the girl more than that."

"Of course I care for her! I couldn't let her be stuck with… oh just shut up and leave me alone!" He crouched down lower and looked away again. "I couldn't ask her to be with me… not in that way."

"Why? Is something wrong with her?"

"Stop saying that! There is nothing wrong with Kagome!"

Kikyo carefully lowered herself to sit beside him. "Then perhaps you are keeping your options open in case someone better comes along."

"Don't be an idiot! There's no one better than… Quit talking to me. Go back to camp."

Kikyo was silent for a few moments. Inuyasha wondered just how much trouble he would get into for abandoning her out here if he took off for camp on his own. Or maybe go for a run. Or go kill something for breakfast.

"Kagome loves you exactly the way you are. She had intended to spend the rest of her life being at your side in whatever way you let her. She cares not for what others say to her or about her. Your friends accept the relationship the two of you have, and would celebrate joyously when you decide to cement it. I do not understand why you would not take that one last step."

"I'd mess it up."

"Hmm?"

He turned his head and snarled at her. "You heard me. I like my life with Kagome. I like things the way they are. Why should we change it? If I try to change things… I don't want to mess up things just because…" he trailed off, realizing he was giving away too much information to the enemy.

"Because?"

"Never mind."

"Because you want things to be more… intimate?"

Inuyasha shot to his feet and landed several feet away. "I ain't talkin' about THAT! I'm no pervert!"

Kikyo smiled. "What a man and woman do in the bonds of marriage is not perve…"

"I ain't listening!"

With a chuckle Kikyo began to stand. "Inuyasha. It's perfectly normal to want tho…"

"Shut UP!"

She brushed the leaves off her legs. "Fine. But just know that if things never change, they can never grow." Slowly she began walking towards camp. "Kagome may not be content with simply friendship forever. One day she will want a husband and a child of her own." Inuyasha heard her mumble to herself, "She just better not pick mine!"

The dog demon sighed and looked up at the stars through the canopy of leaves. Could it really be his fault? Would she not have been torn from his side if he had mated her? He ran a tired hand over his eyes.

"YOU BETTER BIND HER WHEN YOU GET HER BACK!" screamed Kikyo as she walked on.

Inuyasha smiled faintly. It was the one command he planned on following.

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Author's Note:

Thank you for the reviews! They really help keep an author motivated.

Sorry it took so long to update, I was out of town for awhile and was without my beloved computer. I was going through major withdrawals! It's good to have the Internet again.


	26. The Wishing Well

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. All I own is my own little universe… mostly imaginary, but hey, it's mine.

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Wishing Well

September 14

"Make a wish, Kikyo!"

Smiling at her friend/Kikyo's friend, Eri, Kagome looked at the well. She had been making wishes for months now on every star, yellow traffic light, fallen eyelash, and well that she came across. Figuring one more wouldn't hurt, she tossed in a coin, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and made her silent wish.

"Did you wish for a new job?" the pink haired woman 'joked'.

The smile became a little more forced, but still remained on her face. Eri had been making several not so subtle comments that it was time for her to move out of her friend's home.

"Or a hot new boyfriend?"

Ah yes, there was that too. The ever so inconspicuous reminders to stay away from her friend's husband. Couldn't have an hour go by without one of those. She wasn't sure if she should think well of her for being so loyal to her friend, or insulted that she would even insinuate that she would make a move on someone else's husband. Now why had she agreed to go out with these people? Oh yes, her mother's threat that she would steal all the mirrors in the house in the middle of the night and hide them until she got some actual sunshine and held actual conversations that didn't revolve around when the next time Kikyo's reflection would appear.

Hojo hadn't escaped either. He was being forced to take his mother-in-law (sort of) window shopping. Kaede was spending the day with Souta playing video games. Why hadn't SHE been forced to go outside and be social? Of course, the only way she and Hojo had been persuaded to go was because the little girl had smiled and said that they wouldn't be seeing them today.

"I already have someone."

"Hmm…" she said with a disbelieving voice. "Sure isn't the clingy type, is he?"

Kagome wondered if it was too late to change her wish to Eri falling down the well. When were the others showing up? At least they were a buffer.

"We talk when we can."

The other woman crossed her arms and leaned against the well with her hip. "Why hasn't he come down here to see you?" She made a sound of sudden understanding. "Ohhhh… is it another woman?"

Okay.

That was it.

The girl must die.

Just as Kagome was getting ready to push her over the lip of the well, she heard the cheery voice of Yuka. She was a little surprised at the new short haircut she was sporting.

"Couldn't get rid of the purple," she explained as she touched the edge of her hair. "What are we doing? Making wishes?" She dug out a coin and tossed it in. "Please let the new boy in Chem class notice me."

Kagome laughed, she couldn't help it. "You aren't supposed to tell people what you wished."

Yuka shrugged. "Eh, no big deal. He wasn't _that_ cute."

"Yet you spent money on wishing for him?"

"It was a coin from the arcade that I found, so it's not like I have a whole lot invested in it." She yawned and stretched then pointed out the ice scream shop. "You take this wishing stuff too seriously, Kikyo." She pushed her in that direction. "The others are going to meet us later."

"Where?"

Yuka laughed. "It'll be fun!"

The outing was a nightmare, especially after they tricked her into going to a club. The two women seemed determined to set Kagome up with someone. Anyone! There were some men who were interested, and some who were far tooooo interested (and had no concept of 'personal space'). But none of them was Inuyasha. And each new guy that they introduced her to made her angrier and angrier.

"I want to go home," Kagome yelled at Eri when she got close enough to her to be heard over the pounding music.

"No way!"

"I want to go!"

Eri shook her head as she continued to dance. "I drove. We're staying. Hey! I want you to meet someone. Sai, this is Kikyo. Kikyo, Sai. Dance!" She shoved Sai into Kagome and disappeared into the crowd.

"Hi," he said awkwardly.

"Uh. Hi. I'm involved with someone."

"Married?"

"No. Not yet."

He gave her a grin that was probably supposed to be charming and started dancing in such a way that it looked like he wanted to make babies with her right on the dance floor.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "But I've really got to go."

Sai grabbed her wrist and drew her closer, pushing his body against hers. "Eri says you guys are staying 'till closing."

Kagome tried to tug her wrist out of his hand, but had no luck. She debated on whether or not she should use some of the self-defense techniques Sango showed her. But she wasn't sure if she really wanted to cause a scene with him writhing on the floor in agony. Inuyasha's tips wouldn't be helpful either since the establishment probably frowned on bloodshed. So it looked like she had one option left to her.

"I meant that I have to go to the bathroom." Lie and run.

It worked though. Sai dropped her wrist. But before she could bolt, he grabbed it again. She formed a fist with her other hand and prepared to punch him in the windpipe.

"I'll walk you there, it's dangerous with all these creeps around."

Kagome relaxed her fist and allowed herself to be led to the back. With a wave of her fingers she disappeared into the women's room. She did her business. Touched up her make up. Bushed her hair. Wiped down the sinks. When another woman came in she noticed that Sai was still waiting for her to come out. So she went into one of the stalls, pulled out her cell phone, and began playing one of the games she had downloaded on it. Of course, that was only good for half an hour since she had neglected to charge the batteries. So she went back out and messed with her hair some more, this time giving herself braids. Another woman came in and she noticed Sai still waiting, though looking a little disgruntled.

"I give up," Kagome muttered to herself.

"Hey," called a woman from one of the stalls. "Could you shut that window? Someone must be smoking underneath it and I'm allergic."

Window?

Sure enough, there was a small window. _How cliché can you get,_ she laughed at herself. _And why the heck didn't I notice it before?_

Thankful she wore the purse with the long strap, she put it over her head so that it hung across her body. She was also grateful that she wore a skirt that allowed movement instead of a tight one. She wished that she had worn tennis shoes instead of heels though. It didn't matter. Slipping her shoes off, she tossed them out the open window. Taking a deep breath, she began to climb up on the sink.

"Date going bad?" asked a woman who came out and was washing her hands.

"Kinda."

"Been there. There's a ledge outside the window. Don't try going straight down, it goes to the alley. It's dark and too dangerous. So walk carefully along the ledge to the right if you are facing outward. Go about four or five yards and there will be a slope. Scoot down on your bottom and when you get to the edge you'll only have a few feet drop."

"Oh. I guess you really have done this before."

The woman laughed. "You wouldn't believe the horrific blind dates I've been on. Good luck, kid!"

Kagome followed the woman's instructions to the letter. When she landed safely on the pavement she wished she hadn't been so quick to toss her shoes out the window. Going down a dark alley wasn't worth a pair of shoes, so she headed for home in her bare feet. She also wished she hadn't used up her cell phone battery playing games when she could be calling her mother for a ride home.

Three bus changes and an empty pocketbook later, Kagome finally stood in front of her mother's house. She would have gone to Hojo's, but it was even further. Bypassing the front door, Kagome walked to the old well house, certain that she still had an old pair of shoes stashed in the corner from when she was working in the garden.

Sure enough, there they were. With a sigh she slipped them on her bruised and tired feet.

"What a day. I wish…"

Her wish to start the day over again died as her eyes fell on the old boarded up well. Her grandfather had boarded it up when she was a child after she had fallen down it, for the third time. It wasn't a very deep well. In fact, as far as she knew, it had never once held water. Her grandfather said it was hundreds of years old, and had built the well house to protect it. She always loved the smelly old thing, it was comforting knowing that she was touching a piece of the past. So she walked to the well and sat on the edge. She was tired. She was tired of not being where she belonged. She was tired of the awful loneliness that being away caused.

"I wish I was with Inuyasha."

Wiping the tear that fell down her cheek, she pushed herself off of the well and headed outside. Now that she had shoes on her feet she could make it all the way to Hojo's.

If she had stayed only two minutes longer.

If she had only turned around.

Then she would have seen the well glow blue.

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Author's Note:

I hope y'all are enjoying the story. I appreciate your reviews and I love reading them. Though I have a very very rough draft of the next chapter, it is still a long way off from being close to completed. So it may take a little longer to get that one out.


	27. The Nose Knows

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. All I own is my own little universe… mostly imaginary, but hey, it's mine.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Nose Knows

September 14

Kagome?

Inuyasha sniffs again. There was no doubt about it, he could smell just a trace of Kagome's scent. His heart rate tripled as he frantically searched for the direction it came from, ignoring his companion's strange looks.

To the east!

"Inuyasha? Where are you going?"

He heard Shippo call out as he bolted, but didn't have time to waste talking. Kagome was here. Somewhere. There was no mistaking that scent. But it was so faint… More like a soft whisper than anything else. He'd find her though, no matter how muted the scent was. Nothing…. NOTHING would keep him from her.

_She's back! Thank you. Thank you. She's back!_

After a few minutes he stopped running and sniffed the air again. There could be no mistakes. He had to find her as quickly as possible. It wasn't safe for her to be alone.

_Let her be safe!_

He heard Shippo scampering close by behind him just as he was about to start running again. He couldn't smell the others, so the kit must have come after him on his own. Grumbling about inept humans, Inuyasha leapt in Shippo's direction, grabbed the squealing kit by the tail, and tossed him onto his shoulder as he used a tree to bounce off of and race back towards Kagome's scent. There was no time to waste!

"Inuyaaashaaaaa!" The fox grabbed Inuyasha's hair and hung on for dear life. "Whaaat's got in tooo youuuu?"

"Use your nose, runt." The dog demon continued to track as Shippo lifted his nose and tested the air. When the kit inhaled sharply with a gasp, Inuyasha knew that he finally (FINALLY) caught the scent.

"Kagome?"

But Inuyasha was beyond hearing. His instincts were screaming at him that his mate was near. As he ran he noticed that the area was very familiar. It took him a moment to realize that they were near the village where Kaede lived. Perhaps Kagome went to someplace she was familiar with. Though he didn't know how she would have found the old hag's hut.

Shippo ran towards the hut, screaming Kagome's name. Inuyasha was about to follow when he noticed that the scent wasn't coming from the hut, it was still some distance beyond the hut and towards the right. Was she hurt and unable to make it to Kaede's?

He continued to follow the scent to a clearing. Her scent was coming from an old well.

_Oh gods._

_Please let her be okay._

"Kagome?"

Silence.

Slowly he walked towards the well, though his heartbeat was thundering in his chest. She could have drowned. She could have fallen and broken her legs. Or snapped her neck. Or while they were out just wandering around she had been laying at the bottom of the well with no food and no water. Starved to death. With nothing to keep her warm. The image was too horrifying, and Inuyasha had to close his eyes against it.

"Kagome?" He didn't care if his voice sounded like he was pleading.

Nothing but silence.

With trembling fingers, he placed his hand on the lip of the well and drags himself to it. After taking a deep breath, he looked down.

"Kagome?"

It was dark. He couldn't tell how far down it was, but it didn't matter. If Kagome was down there, then that was where he was going. So he jumped.

Thump!

There was little light at the bottom of the well, but his sharp eyesight adjusted quickly. It was dusty and filled with rocks and demon bones. But no sign of Kagome. The dog demon let out a chocked laugh and leans against the wall of the well, then let his body slide down. The dust made his eyes tear up, so he wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his robe. She wasn't there. She wasn't dead. But...

"Inuyasha?"

He looked up to see Shippo staring down at him with wide green eyes. Standing up, he turned around and wiped at his face while he studied the bottom of the well. Then he leapt back up to the kit.

"Her scent comes from here," he told the kit as he looked back down the well. It was very confusing. Her scent was coming from the bottom of the well, but there was no sign of her. There was no indication that her scent was anywhere outside of the well at all, only inside it.

"Sh… she's not… down there… is she?"

"Keh. Don't be stupid. If she was down there don't you think I would have brought her up?" He pointed at the darkness. "Ain't nothing down there but dirt, rocks, and bones."

This didn't seem to comfort the kit. "Do you think she's buried under it?"

His heart stopped beating. The vision of Kagome struggling under the dirt and bones, crying out for help, calling for HIM, stopped his breath. Without a word to Shippo he was back down the well, digging and clawing at the dirt, as carefully and quickly as he could. He didn't want to accidently cut her while digging, but he had to get her out as fast as possible before she suffered worse.

But there was no sign of her. No sign that anyone had dug into the dirt for years, likely since the well was built.

Dirty, bleeding, and tired, Inuyasha hopped back out of the well.

"Maybe we should make a wish."

"A wish?" Inuyasha snorted, "Don't be stupid."

Shippo glanced at him briefly before turning his attention back to the well. "In lots of Kagome's stories there are magic wells in them. And you're supposed to toss money in and make a wish."

"The well was built when I was a child," explained Kaede gently.

Both Inuyasha and Shippo let out startled yelps as they spun around to face the newcomer. They had been too wrapped up in the well and Kagome's scent that they failed to notice that they had an audience.

"So it's a couple hundred or so years old then?"

The miko ignored the dog demon and the snickering fox kit. "But it has never worked. They could never find water, regardless of how adamant the priestess at the time insisted that they dig." She walked closer and peered down the well. "Pray tell, what is it that has you so interested in a dried up well?"

"Kagome's scent is down there," Shippo said.

"Is that so?" She studied them for a moment, then turned back towards the hut. "The others are waiting. Come if you want your dinner."

Shippo follows the miko and begins to tell her the story of two sisters and a magic well. He turns around and sees Inuyasha staring down the well. He knew it would be useless to even suggest that he come too. He told himself to remember to bring him some food later. Inuyasha, of course, hadn't even bothered to watch them go. He had more important things to do.

He continued to jump in and out of the well.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Three more chapters to go, folks.


	28. Finding Strength

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. But this alternate reality belongs to me.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Finding Strength

September 17

Give me strength.

Kagome fidgeted as she waited for the mirror to shimmer. She had been jumpy and… well… tingly all morning. When Kaede told her that the mirror was going to turn on (the girl had to stop watching so much television) soon, Kagome grew even more on edge. Instead of pacing like a caged lioness, like she felt like doing, she gave Hojo a cheerful smile as he straightened his tie and smoothed down his hair. She asked for strength one more time, though she wasn't sure why. It was just one of those feelings.

The mirror began to ripple.

"KAGOME!"

She couldn't help but laugh as Inuyasha yelled at the very first ripple of magic. Apparently he was as anxious to see her as she was to see him. She was a little taken aback when he cursed though.

"I smelled you," he said anxiously as he shoved the angry pregnant miko out of his way so he could get closer. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? I caught your scent at the old well near Kaede's. Were you here?"

"Was I there? No, of course not. And I'm fine, why would you think I … did you say… an old well?"

The world stopped moving.

"Yeah. I could smell you. Shippo too! I ain't imagining things." The last part was said in a snarly voice to the woman sitting beside him who was ignoring their conversation as she cooed at her husband and showed him how much her tummy had grown.

A well?

"When?"

"Three days ago. Late afternoon is when I caught it."

Her heart thumped painfully in her chest. "I made a wish at a well that day."

Kikyo and Hojo stopped talking and turned their attention to her. Inuyasha watched her closely as she pushed the hair from her eyes. A million thoughts whirled through her head, making it spin. There had to be a connection.

A connection…

Could making the wish really have connected them?

Could the well connect them?

"Get your arrows," she whispered. A plan formed in her head and she jumped to her feet. "Kikyo! Grab your arrows!"

Quickly Kagome ran from the room, returning moments later with her own bow and quiver of arrows. Everyone from both sides of the mirror were watching her. Something very much like electricity seemed to travel up her arms and cover her body. The air around her seemed to crackle and snap.

"How far are you from the well? How long will it take you to get there?"

"It is about half a…"

"When do you need us there?" interrupted Inuyasha. "I can get us there."

"In one minute? By the time you count to sixty?" He nodded solemnly. Kagome smiled at him briefly before turning to Kikyo. "When I say 'Go', I want you to start counting. when you get to sixty, you have to pour all your power into your arrow and shoot straight down the well."

"What wi…"

"She'll do it." Inuyasha answered. He spoke quietly, but by Kikyo's irritated face she could tell that she had just been threatened.

"Will it work?" Hojo asked.

"Only one way to find out."

Kagome nervously strung her bow and gave the group her best smile. Her gaze fell on Kaede. The little girl looked very pleased. When she took just one arrow from her quiver the girl frowned, only smiling when Kagome picked up the quiver and slung it across her shoulders. If the kid knew something, would it kill her to just out and out say it? Honestly!

"Are you ready?"

Kikyo and Inuyasha both nodded. Kagome took a deep breath, and prayed with all her might that this worked.

"GO!"

1….

It has to work.

2….

Please let it work.

3….

Faster!

4….

Stupid stairs!

5….

Stupid cat! Ack!

6….

Run Kagome.

7….

Move Souta!

8….

Stupid brothers!

9….

Tell Mom I love her!

10….

Tell Grampa I love him too!

11….

You too, brat!

12….

Door. Door. Open up!

13….

Gah!

14….

Do we use EVERY lock?

15…. 16….

The well house!

17…

Run!

18….

Faster!

19….20…. 21...

Open up you stupid door!

22….

Open!

23….24…. 25….

Argh! Someone help!

26….27….28…. 29….

Help ME!

30... 31…. 32…. 33…. 34….35….

Hojo! Yes!

36….

I can't get it open!

37…. 38…. 39…. 40….

Try harder!

41…. 42…. 43…. 44…. 45….

Holy smokes!

46….

I didn't know we even owned an ax.

47…. 48…. 49…. 50….

Grampa's gonna kill you, you know.

51…. 52…. 53….

Thanks!

54….

Wish me luck!

55….

Work.

56….

Please.

57….

I need to see Inuyasha.

58….

I need to go home!

59….

NOW!

60.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note:

Yes.

A cliffhanger. Bwa ha haaaa.

Next chapter you'll get to see another familiar face.

Touchof_EVIL_PixieDust


	29. Midoriko

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. But this alternate reality belongs to me.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Midoriko

September 17

"It will not work."

31... 32...

"Just shut up and do it."

33... 34...

"Idiot demon!"

35...

"I have been stripped..."

36...

"...of my power!"

37...

"Kagome said do it."

38... 39...

"So do it."

40... 41...

"I can not!"

42...

"Listen carefully..."

43... 44...

"I will kill you..."

45...

"Baby or not, I'll kill you."

46... 47... 48...

"Baby... my..."

Inuyasha continued to count as Kikyo stopped arguing and put her hand on her belly. If she didn't start pulling that bowstring back soon he was going to have to rip her arms off her body and do it for her.

52...

"Get ready, Kikyo."

53...

He was fully prepared to do what he had to do to get that arrow down the well. He didn't want to have to maim her, but he wasn't going to let her mess this up. He wasn't going to allow her to ruin his chance of getting Kagome back. Just as he was about to physically 'help' her pull the arrow back, she looked up and smiled, hand still on her belly.

58...

"Give me strength," she whispered.

59...

"Kikyo!"

60...

"NOW!"

Inuyasha held his breath as Kikyo pulled back the arrow. He was a little surprised at how she put the power into the arrow though. There was a lavender aura emanating from her middle that ran up her spine and through her arms. It made the arrow glow as Kikyo let it fly straight into the heart of the well.

Blue fire seemed to erupt from the well.

Then he caught her scent.

"KAGOME!"

Instinctively he jumped into the well, regardless of the blinding light and what may be beyond it. If that's where Kagome was, then that was where he was going. He braced himself for impact, but it never came. Instead of landing at the bottom of the well he kept going. It was as if he was being pulled, not like he was falling.

His heart lurched.

It wasn't the fear that he was falling to his death that caused his heart to jump in his chest. It wasn't fear of what in the world he was falling towards that caused his breath to cease. It was the silhouette forming in the light falling towards him.

It was Kagome.

Joy seemed to burst through his chest as he reached for her. His own vision was blurred as he saw her eyes fill with tears as she called his name, reaching for him. Her smile melted his heart. He knew that he was probably grinning like an idiot, but he really didn't care. Kagome was here. Kagome was almost within his grasp. That was all that mattered.

Her fingers brushed his, and with lightening quick reflexes he grabbed her wrist. They began to pass each other, but their joined hands kept them together and the force of their fall caused them to spin.

As they spun, Inuyasha pulled her to him, crushing her to his chest.

"Kagome..."

"Inuyasha..."

One hand held her head to his shoulder while the other wrapped around her back, pressing her into his body. With his nose at the juncture of her neck and shoulder he inhaled her scent. It wrapped around him. Filled him. For the first time since she disappeared he felt at peace. Nothing else mattered. Who cared where they ended up, at least they were together. And he was never ever letting her go.

"I missed you," she whispered.

His answer was to press his mouth to her shoulder. Her fingers clutched at him, and he was grateful that she didn't try to pull away.

"I missed you too," he whispered against her skin.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

"What's taking them so long?"

"Patience, Shippo."

"I've been patient, Miroku. Where did he go?" The fox kit looked over at Kikyo. "Do you think it didn't work?"

"The well still glows," she answered as she looked over the well. "However, you are correct. It is taking a very long time. I wonder if something went wrong."

As if on cue, the glow grew fainter.

Shippo let out a squeal just as an object flew out of the well. Everyone took a startled step back.

"Kagome!"

Before Inuyasha even landed with the miko in his arms, Shippo had launched himself at Kagome. They laughed and cried and smothered each other in kisses. Sango was next to come forward, tears streaming down her face. Kagome wiggled until Inuyasha set her on her feet and she went to give her friend a hug. Miroku held his son and grinned, too smart to try and give her a hug.

Kikyo stepped forward, but Inuyasha shoved Kagome behind his back and growled.

"You touch her and you die."

Kikyo held up her hands in surrender and settled for a verbal 'welcome back'. She gave Kagome another couple minutes to rejoice being home before she spoke again.

"It works?"

"Yes," Kagome smiled. "Hojo is waiting for you."

Kikyo covered her mouth so she wouldn't cry. Then she turned towards the well that would take her home. It didn't look very safe, and in her condition it seemed even more dangerous. But there was no way that she couldn't not take the chance.

"Wish me luck."

"Good luck," called Sango and Kagome.

"Safe journey," wished Miroku.

"Bye!" called Shippo.

"Just get out of here already," grumbled the dog demon.

"STOP!"

Kikyo froze. She, as well as the others, turned to the source of the voice. A woman, a very angry woman, was standing in the clearing. It was Midoriko!

Sango drew her sword and Miroku handed his son to Shippo, who took Ryoku to hid among the trees. Kikyo and Kagome both placed grabbed an arrow and drew it back. Inuyasha... Inuyasha was already in the air with his sword coming down on the miko who had caused so much trouble.

"Stand down," she ordered as Inuyasha bounced off of the barrier she erected. "This is not your fight."

The dog demon let loose a creative array of curses before he landed. "Everything concerning Kagome concerns me." He readied his sword. "No one touches her."

A bone boomerang flew through the air, but it too was deflected. Midoriko frowned at the demon slayer and raised her hand. A bolt of light shot out, knocking Sango backwards, slamming her into Miroku. Before they could stand back up, vines wrapped around their bodies, trapping them.

"I have often had this dream," commented Miroku, "Though never with an audience."

"Pervert," muttered Sango as she tried to find a way loose.

Inuyasha simply ignored them and ran at Midoriko again. Kirara leapt at the miko, but a blast of light sent her sailing into a tree, causing her transform from her giant fire cat form to her smaller form.

Inuyasha heard Kagome yell at Kikyo to jump. He also heard Kikyo yell back that this was her fight too. Inuyasha slashed at the barrier as Kagome continued to yell at Kikyo to go. Jumping back he decided he needed a new tactic since a frontal assault wasn't working. Though he really wished Kagome would stop yelling at Kikyo to go, it was rather distracting. They could always use another warrior to fight, why was it so important that... oh.

Midoriko smiled as she turned her attention to Kagome and Kikyo.

"I am here to fix this mistake. I am here to send you where you belong."

It made sense now why Kagome was trying to get Kikyo to leave. With her still here, there was still a chance for Midoriko to force Kagome back. Kikyo needed to leave to seal the entrance. His own screamed demand that she jump down the well was not quite as nicely put as Kagome's.

Kikyo nodded in understanding (finally, the dog demon thought) and ran to the well, but Midoriko was blocking it with a barrier.

"I can not allow this," the woman said as she encased Kagome in a bubble of light. "You can not be allowed to exist in a world where you do not belong. You must return."

"She ain't going nowhere!" Inuyasha charged Midoriko, slamming into the barrier over and over. When that didn't work he tried to claw his way through the barrier holding Kagome. "Miroku! Can't you do something?"

"I am a bit busy at the moment, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha spared him a glance as he and Sango were fighting the vines that were trying to smother them. They were useless. He turned on Midoriko.

"Kagome belongs here! She belongs with ME!"

"Enough, demon."

Midoriko glared as she pointed at him. Vines grabbed him and pulled him against a tree, the God Tree. His arms and legs were stretched out as vines coiled around him and bound him securely. They glowed. And they were unbreakable.

"Let him go!" yelled Kagome.

"It is time to send you where you belong."

"I belong here. I love Shippo, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Ryoku. They are my family. I love Inuyasha. He is my heart, my life. I belong with him."

Kikyo went to stand beside Kagome. Her hand was over her belly, protecting her child within. A lavender light trailed up from her middle to her hand, and she put that hand on the barrier holding Kagome. The barrier fell, and so did Kagome.

"Powerful kid you have in there," Kagome commented as she scrambled to her feet.

"Indeed."

Midoriko raised her hand again and pointed towards them. Kagome raised a barrier of her own, the pink light was strengthened with a little bit of lavender. Together they successfully blocked the older miko's attack. Kikyo readied an arrow.

"I belong with my husband and my child. I no longer belong in this world. I will return."

"The life you live belongs to Kagome, not to you."

Kikyo stood straighter. "NO. It is MY life. My husband. My child. MY life, Midoriko. Mine. You will not take it away from me. I belong with them. That is where my heart and my life lie."

She nodded to Kagome, who quickly dropped the barrier. Kikyo let her arrow fly. Kagome quickly notched and arrow and sent hers sailing as well. The two took off in opposite directions. Kagome continued to fire arrows at the miko, who deflected each and every one of them.

"Do you think to harm me with simple arrows, child?"

Kagome smirked as she let another arrow go.

Midoriko shook her head as she disintegrated another arrow. "Child, you can not hope to defeat me like this. I thought you smarter than this."

"Oh I don't know, I think she's pretty smart," snickered Inuyasha from the tree.

Midoriko turned just in time to see the well lose its glow entirely. Quickly she scanned the area and found no trace of Kikyo. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the victorious look on Kagome's face.

"You think you have won?" She opened her hand and a bow of light formed in her hand. "You think that you will continue to live in a time where you do not belong?" In her other hand she formed an arrow. "Do you really think that this is the end?" She aimed her bow at Kagome.

The young miko gasped, then threw up a barrier, hoping that it would be strong enough to deflect the more experienced miko's attack. Then she blinked in shock. Midoriko turned her head, and moved the tip of the arrow to aim at Inuyasha.

"Perhaps if you no longer had a reason to stay here you would not be quite so difficult."

"NO!"

Kagome ran. Inuyasha cursed. Midoriko smiled.

The arrow was let loose, an arrow of light. Kagome couldn't think, she could only react. She lunged at Inuyasha, protecting him the only way she could. She screamed as the arrow sliced through her back. She gasped in horror as she saw the tip emerge from her chest.

"Kagome! No! Kagome! Kagomeeee!"

Inuyasha was safe. Midoriko hadn't killed him. After all the billions of times he saved her, she finally got the chance to save him. She tilted her head up to look at him. The she pressed her lips to his gently.

"I will always love you," she told him.

Then the world slowly darkened.

The last sound she heard before everything went blank was the sound of Inuyasha calling her name.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note:

Thank you for your reviews, regardless of how angry some of them were.

Just a reminder... if you kill the author, you don't get to see what happens in the last chapter...


	30. Happy Endings

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. But this alternate reality belongs to me.

Chapter Thirty: Happy Endings

"Did she die?"

Kaede laughed. "Don't be silly, Kuusouka. You see Auntie Kagome every month!"

"How come I can't make the well work?"

Kaede patted her sister on the head. "_Kagome's_ magic makes the _well_ work. Anyone else who goes through it draws on her powers. Like when Mama shot the arrow, she was absorbing the power that the well absorbed from Auntie Kagome. Right Mama?"

"Correct." Kikyo kissed her youngest daughters head as she tucked her in. "Would you like me to finish the story?"

Both girls nodded.

"Kagome saw Midoriko pull back the..."

"We already heard that part, Mama," complained Kaede.

"She got shot, remember?" said Kuusouka as she snuggled closer to her mother. "Start from there."

Kikyo raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Please!" the sisters said in unison.

"Kagome was shot by Midoriko's arrow of light. Inuyasha screamed in agony as the woman he loved crumpled to the ground. Though he struggled, he could not free himself. He was angry with the miko for shooting his mate. Angrier still that she was smiling so sweetly as she stood there."

"The arrow disappeared, and Kagome's eyes fluttered open. Midoriko told her that their lessons had been learned, then welcomed her home and disappeared."

"What lessons, mama?" asked her youngest as she tried to smother a yawn.

Kikyo smiled. "I suppose that Kagome had to learn that she was loved, and loved in return, and that she truly did belong on that side of the mirror. Or well, as the case may be now. And my lesson? Mine was to learn that this is truly where I was meant to belong and that it is my life. I had to learn that I was not stealing what belonged to Kagome, that this is what belonged to me all along."

"What about Kagome? What happened when she woke up?" asked Kaede, though she knew the story well enough to recite it by heart.

"Kagome slowly sat up, touching the place on her chest where the arrow had been. But an arrow of purity could not hurt Kagome. Her body had been stunned, and absorbed the energy. The vines ceased fighting and Inuyasha picked Kagome up and held her close. Before the others could congratulate them on a battle well fought, the dog demon picked up his mate and took off with her."

Kuusouka pulled on Kikyo's sleeve. "Where did he take Auntie Kagome?"

"Er... "

"They went to kiss and stuff," Kaede explained. "And that's why we have our cousins Mikomi and Chikara now."

"Why don't I have doggie ears too?" the youngest complained as she tugged on her ears.

Kaede rolled her eyes. "Because you aren't part dog demon, silly."

Kikyo ruffled her daughter's hair. "Ah, darlings. You will have to learn to live with being simply human."

Both girls looked at each other then gave her secret smiles that made Kikyo a little nervous. She wondered if they should explore Hojo's geneaological background to see if he had any... interesting... relatives on his side of the family.

"Good night, you two."

She kissed her daughters and walked to the door where Hojo was standing and listening to their favorite bedtime story. He took her hand in his then wished his daughters sweet dreams. The room behind her took on a lavender and blue swirled glow as she turned out the light. Sometimes she missed the power she once held, but it seemed like her daughters had more than enough for all of them.

Kuusouka called out to her, stopping her from shutting the door all the way. Kikyo peeked back in, knowing what was to come.

"You left out the best part, Mama."

"Oh? What part is that?"

"The ever after part."

Kikyo smiled, experiencing a bit of deja vu. "And they all lived happily ever after."

And they did.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note:

See, I'm not truly evil. I put up the last chapter the very same day (within hours even!) of the last one.

I want to thank all of you for reading the story all the way to the end. I know this chapter is short, but its just as long as I wanted it to be. I hope everyone's questions have been answered.


End file.
